To The Heart Seeking Freedom
by Soulwithlife
Summary: Life is peaceful for Ruby, Yang and Blake on Destiny Islands...too peaceful. When they get restless for adventure, the group starts work on a raft, but just as they finish, disaster strikes. What will Ruby do when she is thrust into another world, alone and with a strange new weapon? And what are these monsters in the shadows? [Ships: Ladybug, light Bumblebee]
1. Prologue: The Paopu Fruit

**This is a non-profit fan work. I do not own or claim to own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY or any of the works under them. All rights reserved.**

 **Dedicated to Monty Oum and booksandweapons on tumblr.**

* * *

Destiny Islands. _Destiny_ Islands. It sounded so dramatic, right? Like this was the sort of place where people found a great purpose, or achieved something that shook the very foundations of the world itself.

Ruby sighed. If only it really _was_ that exciting.

"Heh, that bad, huh? Something bothering ya, Rubes?"

Ruby couldn't help but smile as Yang slid into view, donning her usual brown tank top and shorts, along with a pair of sandals that may or may not have been pinched from someone else.

"No, it's just…it's nothing. I'm fine, really!"

Yang shook her head as she sat down beside Ruby, running her hands through the sand as the fresh sea air filled her lungs.

"Let me guess. 'I've been having these weird thoughts lately'?"

Ruby blinked.

"How did you-"

"You talk in your sleep a lot," Yang explained smoothly. "So what's up, Rubes? Things too slow for ya, here?"

Ruby reached for the folded toy scythe on her back, absently folding and unfolding it as she looked out to the ocean.

"I guess that's part of it, but I think there's something more. Like…have you ever thought about what's out there?"

"What, like across the sea?"

"Yeah, or maybe even beyond that! What if there's whole other worlds out there? Places where we could go on adventures, help people, all that kind of stuff!"

Yang laid back and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

"Sounds nice," she admitted. "Or maybe not. We've got it pretty cushy here, ya know? A life on another world wouldn't exactly be a picnic. We'd have to find a way to survive, maybe fight off any weird creatures we come across…"

"Wait, are you _scared?_ "

"Pfft, no way! It's more like…I don't know. Like you should know what you're in for. I mean, it's not gonna be like the stories say. It'll be rough. You'll have to be prepared if you want to come with me."

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Come with you? Wait, does that mean-"

"Hey, I said I'd thought about it too, right? And I made my choice. What, did you think I was working on the raft for someone else?"

Ruby scratched her head.

"I guess that'd explain it. Is it done, then? Like, for real? Could we go right now?!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down! I mean, yeah, it's _kinda_ done, but I'm still missing a few things. A sail, supplies, yadda yadda. Not sure how far away a new world would be, but it'd be pretty dumb to set off with nothing to eat, yeah?"

Yang sat up, stretching her arms out.

"Besides…were you gonna leave without Blake?"

"What? No, of course not! I mean, even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I'd get away with it. She has _really_ good eyes."

"Like a cat?"

"Well, I didn't want to say it, but…"

"Nah, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. So, we're settled then? The three amigos, setting off on an adventure to explore new worlds?"

"Sure, if Blake wants to."

Yang seemed a little taken aback.

"Eh? Why wouldn't she?"

"I don't know, she's…what's the word? Vaguely responsible?"

"Ah yes," Yang began, narrowing her eyes. "The fun killer. I know it well."

"I just think it'd be a good idea to ask her before we start getting things together. Besides, if I get her on-board, she can help us out!"

"Wonder if she'd be best on fish duty…?"

"Yang!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Go on, then, you'd best go see her. Last I checked, she was on that little raised bit through the shack."

"Mm, I know the one. See you later, Yang!"

"See ya, and good luck! You…might need it."

* * *

Ruby was a little breathless as she opened the shack door, her sandals clapping heavily as she walked. Ahead of her, Blake sat gracefully on one of the strange bendy trees of the raised island, wiggling her covered legs as she continued to read her newest book. On Ruby's approach, her ears began to twitch.

"Something wrong, Ruby?" Blake asked, swivelling around. "You look tired."

"No, just…" Ruby began, pausing for breath. "Just ran up a bit quick, that's all. How's the book so far?"

Blake shrugged.

"A little too fast at times, but quite interesting. Would you still like to borrow it when I'm done?"

"Sure! I mean, you know how I am with adventure stories. Just can't get enough!"

"Heh, well, I can't blame you for that," Blake said, smiling. "After all, this isn't the most exciting world."

"Huh? Then you know about others?"

Blake frowned.

"I…sort of. It's difficult to explain."

With a running leap, Ruby landed right by Blake's side on the branch, giving her a thumbs up.

"That's fine. I didn't plan on doing much today, anyway."

Blake carefully placed her book down on the floor before resting her hands on her lap, wringing them nervously.

"Have you ever had these dreams, Ruby? Ones where they're so real that you can't tell if they're really dreams?"

"Hm…not really. Most of my dreams tend to be really weird and vague."

"I wish I could say the same. Lately, whenever I go to bed, it seems like I'm looking down into another world, maybe even another _time_."

"Are _we_ there?"

"No…it's just regular people, walking around doing regular people things."

Ruby scratched her head.

"That _does_ sound kind of strange…and it's only been happening recently?"

"In the past week, yes."

"Why didn't you mention it before?"

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Last I heard, telling everyone what you're dreaming about wasn't exactly a common thing."

"Yeah, but we're friends, right?"

Blake smiled.

"Well…alright, Ruby. I'll try and keep you updated on any weird dreams I have from now on, but you have to do the same. Is that fair?"

"Sure! It'll be like some cool dream pact. We're…not gonna sign our names in blood or anything, are we?"

"Pfft. I think we'd need something _to_ sign, first…or are you proposing you make some kind of contract?"

"Yeah, like I'd even know where to start!"

The two of them just sat there for a little while, staring out into the horizon. Eventually, Ruby yelped, her memory finally kicking into gear.

"Oh, Blake, Blake!"

"Yes, Ruby, Ruby?"

"I just remembered! Me and Yang are planning to go to other worlds! Do you want to come?"

Blake blinked.

"Is this to do with that raft she's been working on?"

"You _knew?_ "

"Well, yes. She came by to ask if I had any books on building a raft a little while ago. When I said no, she just shrugged and replied 'Well, guess I'm gonna have to improvise'."

Ruby paused for a moment as that particular piece of information sank in.

"I'm…sure it's fine?"

" _I'm_ not. If we're going to leave for another world, we should really make sure we're on something stable."

"You can say that again," Ruby confirmed, her mind suddenly remembering a disastrous boat-building contest from a few years. Hopefully Yang had improved since then.

"I'm guessing we're a little short on supplies, too? Do you have any idea which ones?"

"Uh…Yang was pretty vague about it. I think 'fish' was one of them?"

Blake's eyes lit up.

"I could help with that."

"Blake, I mean this in the nicest possible way when I say this, but…no. That would be a _very_ bad idea."

"What? You don't trust me to not eat it all?"

"Do _you_?"

Blake thought on this for a moment.

"…fair point. I'll see what I can do about organising it all, then. Any idea where I can find Yang?"

"She was on the beach, last I checked, but it looks like she's moved to the workshop," Ruby replied, putting a hand over her eyes as she scanned the beach. "I'm sure you'll find her somehow, anyway. She's not really known for being sneaky."

"Heh, you're right, there. Something about the hair and the attitude just seems to draw your attention."

Sighing wearily, Blake dismounted from the tree and picked up her book, but as she turned to walk away, she stopped.

"Say, Ruby…" she began, looking bashful as she turned back.

"Hm?"

"Have you ever…thought about eating a paopu fruit?"

Ruby blinked.

"What, like in a fruit salad or something?"

"No, I meant…together."

"…together?"

Ruby saw a slight blush on Blake's cheeks before she turned back, looking down to the ground.

"Well, you know the legend, right? That when two people eat a paopu fruit, they'll be together forever?"

"Oh, I get it! We should eat it so we won't get lost on the trip, right? Or so even if we do, we'll always come back to each other!"

"…something like that."

"So, wait, would it still work if all three of us shared one? Or would we have to have three fruit and just kinda do it that way?"

"I'm…not really sure."

"Oh, we should eat them on the day we go out, then! 'Cause, you know, then it'll be all symbolic and stuff."

"Yes…sorry, Ruby, I've got to go see Yang. Take care, okay?"

Ruby frowned as Blake hurried through the shack door, and while she couldn't hear her crying, Ruby nevertheless felt like she'd said something to make Blake sad. In fact, now that she thought about it... _she_ felt kind of sad, too.

If only she could understand why.

* * *

 **Heya, all! If you've been following me before, you may be wondering a few things. First off, is there going to be another sequel for my previous works (i.e. the In A Grimm Manor saga)? And what have I been getting up to in the meantime?**

 **Welp, if you happen to care about those things, then read on. If not, go to the next chapter (if it exists) or just go do something else.**

 **In short, I decided to get up and write my own original work, more specifically, a sci-fi novel called 'When Death Passed'. It's on Amazon, it kicks ass (totally unbiased opinion), and if you like my writing style from my other works, you'll probably enjoy it.**

 **As for the In A Grimm Manor saga, I _do_ have plans for a third part to make a trilogy, but it could be a while until that comes out. For one, there's this fic, which I plan on continuing, and for two, I'm also working on my second book, which should be debuting sometime next year. So...yeah. Try and temper your expectations, if you can : P .**

 **Anyways, I'm planning on updating this fic weekly like the other two, but we'll see how it goes. I've got a lot of plates spinning at the moment, so I'd rather I spin the ones I have correctly than try and take on too much at once. Still, with that being said, I look forward to entertaining you all once again!**

 **See you soon!**

 **\- Soulwithlife, AKA Blake Phoenix.**

 **P.S - For those who frequent Ao3, I'm planning on remastering the In A Grimm Manor saga and posting them over there (under Soulwithlife, naturally). Watch out for those in the near-ish future!**


	2. Dive

_I'm…falling?_

Immediately, Ruby knew it was a dream. Part of it was the whole 'falling into the ocean but being able to breathe' thing, but there was something else, too. A lightness of step, a strength she'd never known before.

And yet, even knowing it was a dream, there was no waking up.

Just falling.

FWOOSH

Ruby yelped as the ocean floor below shone like the sun, shattering into thousands of pieces until all that was left was a large, circular platform bearing a beautiful stained glass window. It was difficult to tell exactly what it depicted when she was so close, but she had a feeling that the abundance of yellow was somehow very important.

 ** _Don't be afraid._**

It wasn't a voice, exactly; after all, voices had a sound, a lilt, a melody. Instead, it was more like a thought coming in from outside. A quietness.

 _Who are you?_

The thought paused, considering its answer.

 ** _A friend._**

Suddenly, before Ruby could ask anything else, a set of tall, white double doors popped up from the platform. They were beautiful, in a way, but there was also a sense of danger lurking within, like one might feel from an open fireplace.

 ** _Through this door lies a double-edged sword._**

 ** _It will keep you safe, and yet draw them nearer._**

 ** _It will protect those you care for, while exposing them to danger._**

 ** _It will strengthen your body, while shattering all you know._**

 _And if I don't go through?_

The thought paused again.

 ** _Then no one else will._**

Ruby frowned. If this really _was_ a dream, then it didn't really matter what she did here…but what if it was more than that? What exactly _was_ the door? Could it really be that bad?

 ** _Don't be afraid._**

Ruby walked to the door, cautiously grasping its handle.

 ** _You are the one who will open the door to the light._**

* * *

Another platform, another piece of stained glass. This one incorporated a lot of black, but again, it was difficult to tell what it depicted when she was so close.

 ** _There will be many dangers on your quest…_**

Like puss oozing from a wound, small, dark shapes formed from the edges of the platform, their beady yellow eyes blinking hungrily. Grimacing, Ruby reached for her wooden scythe, only to find that it was conspicuously missing. It was only by a stroke of luck that she stepped back just as a shadow jumped towards her, its malevolence resonating through the very air itself.

 ** _But don't be afraid._**

Ruby backed up to the platform's edge as the shadows made a circle around her, her head whipping around frantically as she searched for a way to escape.

 ** _While courage remains, the light will never fade._**

A shadow leaping forward. A defiant shout.

A key.

 _What the…?_

Acting on instinct, Ruby brought the strange object up to protect herself, watching in awe as the shadow was sent flying backwards. In fact, all the shadows seemed wary of the key, backing off a little as they reassessed the situation.

 ** _But the light does not give freely. It needs its own help in return._**

It didn't seem like a particularly powerful weapon…in fact, she wasn't sure it was a weapon at all. Crimson red save for a long, winding green vine, she couldn't help but find it rather comforting to hold, even if its edge seemed clumsy and impractical.

Still, she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

 _Bring it on!_

Ruby's strikes were clumsy and imprecise as the shadows made another attack, her mind defaulting to the primal bash-with-a-stick method of fighting rather than utilising her scythe training. Still, even with the key's supposed blunt edge, it cut through the shadows with surprising ease, their defeated corpses dissolving into nothing.

 _Are…are they gone?_

 ** _Not yet._**

Without warning, the platform shattered, sending Ruby further into the darkness.

 ** _The final station remains._**

* * *

For once, there was some fall time before Ruby fully descended onto the final platform…but unfortunately, the stained glass image she saw was not an enlightening one. Some white-haired girl in an elegant dress, her piercing blue eyes looking down. Was she the voice, maybe?

Unfortunately, before Ruby could contemplate this any further, the harsh quasi-reality of dream gravity took effect.

BOOMF

 ** _The darkness will not always take such simple forms._**

Ruby jumped to her feet as another shadowy figure materialised before her. Unlike the others, however, this one was humanoid…in fact, other than the overlay of shadows, it looked like an ordinary, if pretty, young woman.

 ** _There will be those who seek to use you, to corrupt the light you hold._**

 ** _But these will not be shadows._**

 ** _They will be people, using darkness for their own ends._**

 ** _Remain vigilant._**

Ruby found herself readying the key as the shadowy woman grew and grew.

 ** _For the darkness that is accepted is the most dangerous of all._**

Seeing the attack coming a mile away, Ruby dodged to the side as the giant slammed her fist down upon the platform. Grunting, Ruby retaliated with the key, but unlike the small shadows from before, this one refused to disintegrate so easily.

The giant roared.

 ** _Yet, if your heart is strong…_**

CRASH. The giant brought both fists down like the wrath of God.

 ** _…the dark will hold nothing against you._**

This time, Ruby's scythe training came back to her. Screaming a fierce battle cry, she jumped far higher than she ever thought possible and landed on top of the giant's arm, racing to the top. Just a little more, and…

SLICE

There was a light _thump_ as Ruby landed behind the giant, not even looking back as its head fell into the abyss.

 _You're a friend, right? Or at least, that's what you said before._

Ruby focused hard as the dream began to fade around her, the vibrant colours of the stained glass twisting and merging with the void. There wasn't much time left.

Hopefully there was enough for one last question.

 _Then can you tell me what this key's called? Please?_

Somehow, the thought seemed to smile as it, too, faded with the dream.

 ** _A keyblade, a symbol of hope and destruction._**

 ** _As for yours, I believe it's called…_**

 ** _'The Last Rose of Summer'._**

* * *

"Bwah!"

Ruby sat upright with a jolt, her breathing ragged and uncertain.

What _was_ that? Was it really a dream? It didn't _feel_ like one, and yet…

Wait. Where _was_ she?

"Ruby…?"

The warm, comfortable bed from back home was gone…and in its place was a cold, slightly damp cave, its walls covered in crude scratched-on drawings. Other than that, there was something vaguely resembling a door ahead, but with its lack of a handle or doorknob, it was more like a gold-trimmed plank of wood.

Then there was Blake, if you could call her that.

"Ruby, where are you?!"

"Blake, I'm here!" Ruby shouted back, standing up to face Blake. "What's- …oh. Oh my god."

Most of her was normal enough. A black raincoat, black trousers, a pair of practical walking boots…the usual stuff. But her eyes, her wonderful, golden eyes had been consumed by the void, replaced by an impenetrable darkness.

"I can't…I can't see you! Ruby?!"

Without thinking, Ruby went to rest a hand on Blake's shoulder, hoping to reassure her through touch if nothing else. Her hand, however, went straight through Blake's body, and she couldn't help but feel a deep-set chill as she pulled back.

"I…I need to get out!" Blake screamed, clawing at her eyes. "I need to get out of here!"

POOF. In the blink of an eye, Blake was gone.

"Ruby! Where are you?!"

That was when Ruby noticed that there was more than one Blake.

Swearing under her breath, Ruby rushed out of the cave, wincing as she was forced to pass through another Blake on her way out. Was doing this hurting the real Blake, somehow? That is, assuming there even _was_ a real Blake.

 _I'm thinking kinda logically about this considering the circumstances,_ Ruby noted. _Maybe it's that dream, makes everything seem sort of mundane. Now, I just need to find-_

"Ruby?!" a thousand Blakes called out.

 _…Blake._

Ruby gulped.

 _Okay, there's one, two, uh…_ _ **a lot**_ _of Blakes here. Can't be that hard to find the real one, right?_

Ruby buried her head in her hands.

 _Oh, who am I kidding? How am I gonna find the real Blake in all this mess?_

But then, just as Ruby was about to give up...she heard it.

Blake was crying.

 _God…why am I feeling sorry for myself? It's Blake who's in trouble! I can't just give up like this!_

Reinvigorated, Ruby charged forward once more, letting the power of the coming storm flow past her as she ran and ran, not even noticing her pained bare feet as she came onto the beach. Like everywhere else, it was covered in Blakes, but there was something different here.

The raft, carrying one, solitary Blake.

"I'm here! Just hold on!"

Now in a full sprint, Ruby leapt as far as she could, snarling as sharp winds snapped at her arms. Still, the elements were no match for her tenacity, and with a yell, she landed soundly on the incomplete raft, looking around for Blake as soon as she found her balance. Unlike the rest of them, this Blake was curled up rather than standing, and as Ruby enveloped her in an embrace, she knew that this one was real.

"Shhh. It's okay…it's okay."

"Ruby? …Is it really you?" Blake asked hoarsely, desperately looking around despite her stricken sight. "I was afraid that you'd…you'd…"

"I'm fine, really! You're the one we should be worrying about. Are you blind?"

The rain continued to pour as the storm worsened, pushing the raft even further out to sea.

Blake shook her head.

"I don't think so. I can see _something_ …a city, like the one from my dreams. I just can't see anything else."

"Do you have any idea why?"

"I wish I did. Maybe some of this would start to make sense."

FWOOSSSSSH

"Um, Ruby? What's that sound?"

"Oh. That's just the waves."

"They sound kind of…big."

Ruby gulped, looking towards the veritable tsunami that was on its way.

"Yeaaaah, you could say that. Blake, you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then when I give the signal, you need to jump and swim as hard as you can, okay? And whatever you do...don't let go."

"I…yes," Blake confirmed, clumsily grasping Ruby's hand. "I understand. Do what you need to."

With as much calm as she could muster, Ruby guided Blake to raft's beach-facing edge. Given the roughness of the sea, it was a gift that the raft hadn't drifted out further, but even as it was, it would still be a struggle to get to shore intact.

Not she was going to tell Blake that.

"Now! Jump!"

Ruby had to strongly resist the urge to gasp as she hit the water, the sudden chill nearly freezing her in place entirely. Through sheer force of will however, she broke out into a swim, pulling Blake along as the waves fought against them. For every inch they pushed forward, the maelstrom pushed back, but with no other options, they were forced to continue regardless. After a minute, and with her lungs desperate for air, it seemed like they had finally made it to shore...

At least, if not for the invisible wall that blocked their path.

 _What? Damn, to the surface, then!_

BUMP. Another wall.

 _A wall ahead, a wall above…?_

Ruby looked back to Blake as her mouth opened, gasping for air that didn't exist.

 _I'm sorry_ , she mouthed, before the water took its course.

* * *

Yang was a heavy sleeper by any definition, but when your little sister vanishes from her bed in a flash of light, there's a certain basic instinct that thrusts you awake. Then, there'd been markings on the ground, mysterious footprints that had led her to the main island's rickety old pier.

A pier where she would be forced to watch Ruby and Blake die, knowing that if she dove in after them, she'd just be adding to the death toll.

You couldn't fight a storm like this. Not alone.

 ** _You can save them, you know._**

Yang's head whipped around as the storm raged on, even as a calm, feminine voice pierced through the chaos.

"What? How?!"

 ** _Give in to the darkness. Let it flow through your body, your mind, your heart…_**

 ** _Only then will your friends survive.  
_**

It was a long shot. Hell, Yang wasn't even sure what the voice _meant_. But at the same time…what did she have to lose?

 ** _Just one little touch of darkness…_**

Yang screamed as her arm twisted painfully, a black and purple substance oozing around it like burning tar.

 ** _Yes…perfect._**

"I won't…let them die!"

Punching forward with more strength than she'd ever known, Yang cried out as a dark portal appeared under Ruby and Blake, swallowing them whole.

Yang fell to her knees, exhausted.

"Are…are they safe?" she wheezed out, grasping at her still throbbing arm.

 ** _For now, but...aren't you forgetting someone?_**

Something slimy gripped at her legs, and looking down, it took all of Yang's willpower not to panic.

"What?! Let me out!"

 ** _Then you would prefer that the Heartless devour you?_**

Out of the corner of her eye, Yang spotted a shadowy shape forming from nothingness, staring into her with hungry yellow eyes. She sighed, relaxing her body as it sunk down into the darkness.

 ** _Yes, that's it. Accept the darkness, Yang Xiao Long. For if you do…_**

 ** _Not even the brightest light will stand in your way._**


	3. It Looks Like A Flower?

"Hey. Hey red girl. Time to stop taking up space in my room, now."

…

"Oh for #!%^'s sake…WAKE. UP!"

Ruby coughed frantically as she sat bolt upright, somewhat surprised that her lungs weren't full of water. Oh, and she wasn't dead, either! _Two_ surprises already, and she'd barely woken up yet.

"Huh, that actually worked," the sharp voice mused. "I mean, of course it worked! Why wouldn't it?"

Still more than a little disoriented for far too many reasons, Ruby decided to take her bearings. From the looks of it, this was someone's bedroom, though the over-abundance of white made it look more like a clinic. The room's furniture, including a bedside table, wardrobe and armchair, seemed to have been scavenged randomly from many different sources, giving the room a very eclectic feel.

"Hmph, don't tell me you're a mute? Like I don't have _enough_ $%^ to deal with…"

Finally, Ruby's eyes came to rest on the room's owner. Dressed in a blinding white frock, the girl just seemed to _ooze_ nobility, from where she put her hands to her position in the armchair. Wait…was she chewing a _toothpick_? How odd. Her mid-length hair, too, seemed out of place on a noblewoman, and even to Ruby's untrained eye, it looked like it had been cut by the girl herself.

 _Wait a minute…haven't I seen her somewhere before?_

The girl recoiled as Ruby leaned closer, studying her face intently.

"…are you done?"

"Oh! Um, sorry about that!" Ruby apologised hastily. "It's just…you seem kind of familiar."

The girl raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You must be mistaken. Wherever you're from, _I've_ never been there."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Because, when I found you half-dead outside the shop, you were covered in sand," the girl explained testily. "And while Traverse Town has many things, a _beach_ is not one of them."

"…Traverse Town?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"I've got to explain everything, then? Fine. Traverse Town is the garbage dump of the universe. When worlds are consumed by the Heartless, some of its inhabitants end up here. Lucky us."

"W-wuh? Heartless? Consumed worlds? What are you-"

The girl put a finger to her lips, and for the first time, her expression softened.

"Look, I…I know things must be confusing for you right now. Maybe I don't know exactly what you've been through, but I've seen hundreds of others land here with that same look…like they can't believe the apocalypse left without them."

The girl took the toothpick from her mouth and leaned forward, rolling it between her palms.

"It gets easier, though. Maybe you won't like it, and maybe you'll always be torn up about what happened, but it _will_ get easier. Then, after the dust has settled, you might just live a normal life again."

The room was silent as Ruby tried to digest the girl's words. She didn't have much success.

"It's Weiss."

Ruby looked up.

"My name," Weiss explained. "If you're going to be staying with me a while longer, you may want to get it memorised."

"Oh, sure…and, um, I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose! It's…nice to meet you?"

"I wish I could say the same," Weiss said, frowning. "Everything's been going crazy since I took you in. The Heartless are acting up, I can't get through to my uncle, and as if that wasn't bad enough, I'm almost out of toothpicks!"

"Toothpicks? Why would that- you know what? Forget it. You said something about the 'Heartless'?"

"That's what we call the shadowy creatures that invade the worlds. Didn't you see them?"

"I don't…think so?" Ruby said uncertainly, casting her mind back. "I mean, there was a storm, and I almost drowned, I think? Was there really anything else...?"

"Considering how much water you coughed up when I found you, I'm thinking you very much _did_ drown," Weiss commented with distaste. "Please try not to do that again, by the way. My shoes haven't looked the same since."

"Wait, so if I drowned…did you give me CPR or something?"

"Huh? CPR? The $^& is that?"

"You know, like mouth to mouth?"

"Isn't that called 'kissing'?"

"No, it's a different thing! See, you kinda blow air in someone's mouth-"

"Okay, stop. Stop right there. That sounds gross and unsanitary, and either way, I don't care."

"So what _did_ you do?"

"A cure spell, _duh_. What, don't tell me your world didn't have magic?"

Ruby gasped excitedly.

"Magic is _real_?!"

"Oh for the love of-"

"Can you show me some? How does it work? Can you make it go through weapons? Is it like making fire and stuff, or is it more subtle than that? Please, you've got to-"

"Now _hang on there_ , kid. _I_ haven't got to do _anything_. I've already saved your life, so if anything, you owe _me_ favours, not the other way around."

Weiss huffed.

"Not that I was going to hold it against you, but really? Not even a thank you?"

Ruby guiltily averted her gaze.

"I…I'm sorry. I guess I just got caught up in the excitement. Thank you very much for saving me, Weiss, and if there's anything I can do to repay you, then just say the word and I'll get right on it!"

Weiss' expression softened once more, her head nodding in approval.

"See? Much better. As for if you can help me…well, we may come back to that. I still don't know you very well, so until I get more of a feel on what you can do, I'd rather not suggest any tasks."

"Aw…"

"Then again…there may be _one_ thing…"

Ruby's expression lit up like a light bulb.

"Yeeees, Weiss?"

"Do you…know how to cook?"

Ruby blinked.

"I can make an omelette?"

"Good enough. If you go down a floor, you should see a hatch by the counter. Open it, head down again, and you'll find yourself in the kitchen slash dining area. It's not very large, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding things. Any questions?"

"Nope, that should be a piece of cake!"

"Good, but before you go, you really need to-"

Naturally, in her excited state, Ruby barely noticed what Weiss was saying as she let her covers drop.

"…oh," Ruby murmured, hurriedly pulling the covers back on.

"Yes, 'oh'," Weiss said, sighing in exasperation. "You know what? _I'll_ go downstairs and get the cooking started, and while I'm doing that, _you_ need to pick out something to wear. That is, unless you have some strange attachment to your birthday suit…?"

Ruby shook her head, too embarrassed to speak.

"Didn't think so. Since you're a little shorter than me, I would recommend sticking to the left side of the wardrobe - that's where I keep my older clothes, you see. Oh, and _do_ try and find something practical. As much as I like my formal gowns, I like them even more when they're not being worn by strangers, if you catch my drift."

Returning the toothpick to her mouth, Weiss stood up from the chair and made her way over to the ladder, but as she motioned to go down, Ruby piped up.

"Uh…Weiss?"

"Hm? What now?"

"I'd just like to say thank you…again, I guess. I know I said I'd pay you back, but you still saved my life, and…I don't know. I guess you just didn't really have to do all this?"

"Then what _was_ I to do? Leave you to die alone in a cold, dark back alley of Traverse Town?"

Weiss shook her head.

"Uncle Cid raised me better than that."

* * *

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

"Could you _make_ any more noise?" Weiss rattled off irritably, searching meticulously through her cupboard.

"It's these boots! They're just…louder than I'm used to!"

"Right, right, give me a moment…"

Hypocritically creating quite a clamour as she finished retrieving the various pans and plates, Weiss leant back on the kitchen top, turning her appraising gaze to Ruby's new outfit. As she'd suggested, Ruby had kept to the left side of the wardrobe but, embarrassingly, she'd managed to dig up something a little _too_ old. Bearing no colours but black and red, the outfit called back to Weiss' short-lived 'goth' phase, complete with corset and knee-high boots.

"Hmph. Can't say I was expecting _that_. Does it fit?"

"Yup! But, uh, are you sure I'm alright wearing it? I could just get something from a clothes shop-"

"No no, if you like it, then keep it. To tell you the truth, I haven't worn the thing for a few years, and my tastes have…changed somewhat in the meantime."

"Well, if you say so, Weiss…" Ruby said dubiously. "It just feels like I'm doing a lot of taking right now and not a lot of giving."

"Then you can _start_ by making that omelette, can't you?"

"But…the outfit?"

"Oh, please. Like I would let you wear anything that wasn't machine washable."

"Eh? Machine what now?"

"Just…never mind. My point is, as long as you aren't _trying_ to ruin it, it'll probably be fine. Now, I'm going upstairs to take care of some things, so just call me down when you're done, okay?"

"Um, sure! It won't take long, though, even if I have to find the ingredients. Omelettes are _easy_."

"Good, then I can expect the kitchen to not be a complete mess by the time you're done."

"So, a partial mess is fair game?"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Just make the $%^~ &* food, Ruby. _I'll_ worry about the rest."

And with that, Weiss made her way back to the upper floors, leaving Ruby to her own devices.

 _I wonder how she does that symbol thing? Eh, questions for later. Now where to find the eggs…?_

Ruby looked around for a moment, taking stock of her surroundings. Unlike the rest of the building, the kitchen was more obviously converted from a basement of some kind, and if not for the lovely chandelier hanging from the ceiling, it would have seemed a rather sorry place. Still, as much as the dank stone walls and chill gave it a dungeon-like feel, the rows of kitchen equipment and a simple dining set gave the room points for utility if not appearance.

Now if only she could figure out what any of this _did_.

 _There's some cupboards up here…maybe that's where she keeps the eggs?_

Having worked with a far more basic set-up back home, Ruby was a little out of her element, and the sheer quantity of ingredients certainly didn't help matters. She wasn't entirely sure what most of it even _was_ , but on the third cupboard, she recognised what she _hoped_ was an egg carton. Of course, even this was unfamiliar; gingerly taking it out and inspecting the contents, Ruby found that _these_ particular eggs were almost three times as large as the ones from back home.

 _You know, as much as I like animals, I'm not sure I'd like to meet the kind of bird that lays an egg this big. Anyway, what am I doing with this, exactly?_

Atop one of the surfaces was what Ruby vaguely recognised as a stove but, after another search, she couldn't seem to find any source of ignition.

 _Huh, weird. Wait a minute, what does_ this _do?_

PWOOF. At the touch of a button, one of the hobs burst aflame.

"Whoa. That's _awesome!_ "

Filled with child-like glee, Ruby proceeded to press down the other three buttons, grinning as they sent their own hobs alight.

"Ruby!" a muffled voice called out.

Ruby gulped, looking expectantly towards the ceiling.

"Y-yes?"

"You'd _better_ not be messing with things down there!"

"I'm not, I'm not! I promise!"

"Well _good_ , because if I come down there and find you've burned the kitchen to the ground, there _will_ be consequences!"

"Uh, yes ma'am!" Ruby sputtered out, quickly pressing the buttons back down and hoping beyond hope that it was some sort of on/off setup.

Fwoof.

 _Yeah, you and me both, fire,_ Ruby thought, wiping her brow. _Anyway, I should probably get on with the omelette before Weiss shouts at me again._

Thankfully, whether due to the short cooking time or Weiss being otherwise preoccupied, Ruby didn't get any more admonishments from her temporary landlady, and before long, two delicious looking omelettes sat steaming on their plates.

"Weiss! Dinner's- I mean, breakfast's…lunch?"

Ruby paused, scratching her head.

"Food's done!"

Ignorant to the rules of etiquette, Ruby didn't waste time waiting for Weiss to come down and tore into her omelette with gusto. It wasn't _quite_ like the ones back home, but there was a lot of it, and after being unconscious for a fair while, Ruby had worked up _quite_ the appetite. In fact, by the time Weiss had come down with a folded bit of cloth, Ruby had already demolished over half of her omelette, flashing a guilty smile.

"Weiss, I-"

"Don't apologise," Weiss cut in, laying the cloth beside her plate. "The kitchen's fine, and this omelette looks good; to be honest, I'm not particularly bothered about anything else right now."

Without another word, Weiss set about eating her own omelette but, as expected, her style of eating was somewhat more…sophisticated than Ruby's. In no time at all, Ruby had completely finished, patting her stomach in satisfaction, while Weiss hadn't even started on her second half.

"So…" Ruby began, clacking her boots impatiently. "What's with the red thing?"

"Hm?" Weiss said, resting her cutlery down. "Oh, you mean _this_. Well…"

Pulling her seat back, Weiss picked up what had seemed like some folded cloth but, as she let it unfurl, Ruby couldn't help but gasp.

"Is that…my cloak?"

"What's left of it, at least," Weiss answered truthfully. "Like the rest of your clothes, it was practically rags when I found you, but…hm. I just got the feeling that it might be important to you."

It wasn't a perfect fix. The artful stitches Weiss had made were plain to see if one were to look close, but only for lack of fitting material; if not for that, Ruby would have said it was flawless.

"…Ruby? Are you okay?"

Ruby shook herself, realising she had been staring open-mouthed at the cloak.

"Um…can I try it on?"

"Well I _certainly_ didn't fix it up just so you could stare at it," Weiss grumbled irritably, though her expression told a different story. Contentment over a job well done, perhaps.

 _Let's see, just clip through here and…there!_

Ruby positively glowed as she gave a little twirl.

"I'm not even sure what to say…" she murmured dreamily. "Are you a fairy godmother in disguise, Weiss?"

"Pfft, I should think not!" Weiss replied hotly. "Still, I'm glad I was right about the cloak. There was-"

Weiss frowned.

"Ruby?"

"Hm?"

"Before, when we were talking upstairs…you said you recognised me, didn't you?"

"Kind of? I can't tell you where from, though. It's all pretty hazy."

"Well I'm afraid I can't help you with that, but…"

Weiss crossed her arms.

"I know I said I helped you before because that's how my uncle raised me, right? And believe me, that part was true. Everything else, however…I'm not so sure. I think it's that you remind me of someone. Someone I met a long time ago."

"Really? Who?"

Weiss shook her head.

"I don't know. There's…a lot of things I don't quite remember, now. Memories from when I was five, maybe six. I suppose I've just had other things on my mind."

"But I reminded you?"

"Mmhm," Weiss confirmed. "For better or worse, you feel a lot like her. I just wish I knew what that meant."

Ruby put her hands to the back of her head, looking up towards the ceiling. She was certainly very lucky to have Weiss help her like she did, but the identity of her mystery person remained…well, a mystery. If there were any clues to her identity, Ruby certainly didn't have them.

"I-"

Swsssh. Softly, every so softly, a shadow crept out from the floor, readying its claws to attack.

"Weiss, look out!"

Without thinking, Ruby pushed Weiss aside, bringing an arm up to block the shadow.

CLINK

Ruby blinked in surprise.

 _Wait, is that…?_

SLICE. Unable to react in time, the shadow felt the full force of Ruby's swing, its essence slinking back into the ground.

"What the ~ %^ is that?" Weiss asked, shakily picking herself up.

"It's a keyblade?" Ruby answered dubiously. "Or, I think that's what it's called."

"It looks _extremely_ impractical," Weiss commented critically. "Are you _sure_ it's a weapon?"

"It made short work of the Heartless, didn't it?"

"Hm…true. Wait a minute, what was a Heartless even _doing_ here? This is the First District!"

"So?"

"So if there are Heartless here, something is _very wrong_. Come on!"

Beckoning for Ruby to follow, Weiss climbed up to the ground floor, despairing as even more Heartless came into view.

"Oh for & %^'s sake! Get _out_ of here!"

As Ruby made her own awkward way up the ladder, keyblade still in hand, she was treated to the sight of Weiss wielding an elegant rapier as she reached the top. With a subtle movement, the rapier shot out several thin beams of ice and, in an instant, the Heartless were frozen solid.

"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed, glancing between the Heartless popsicles. "You really _can_ do magic!"

"Not the time nor the place, Ruby!" Weiss intoned sharply, practically kicking the door open. "Actually, I'm not sure there ever _will_ be a time or place for your gawking, but that's beside the point. We need to keep moving!"

Nodding, Ruby followed Weiss out into the town proper, trying to take in the sights as she ran. Dull grey-browns illuminated by lamplight, some railings, several sad looking houses...for a town referred to as 'the garbage dump of the universe', it actually looked kind of average. Well, maybe it'd be nicer without the Heartless popping out from the ground, but hey, nowhere was perfect.

"Gah, there's just too many!" Weiss cried in frustration. "If we go through here, we'll just get swarmed from both sides!"

Ruby looked the brown double doors up and down, wondering why exactly there were so enormous when people only got so tall.

"So…we're fighting?" she said finally, slowly twirling her keyblade.

"Unfortunately. Do you know how to use that thing?"

Ruby shifted her stance as the shadows formed a circle around them.

"Uh…not really," she admitted. "But this kills them pretty well, and it doesn't seem to mind being used like a club."

"Hmph. Just be careful, okay? The Heartless don't joke around."

"And I do?"

Weiss grimaced.

"From what I've seen so far? Yes."

"Then this is the perfect time to prove myself! Gyaaaaah!"

"Wait, Ruby, we need to-"

Weiss grumbled ineffectually as Ruby charged forward, swinging her ridiculous sword in the most amateurish way she had ever seen…and the worst part was, it was working. Something about that key was making the Heartless swarm around her, and with Weiss free from their greedy eyes, she could take the time to send some choice fireballs towards some of the testier ones.

Within a minute, the Heartless were destroyed, and while some worrying sounds started to come through from behind the door, it seemed like they were safe…at least, for a little while.

Ruby grinned, slinging the keyblade over her shoulder.

"So how was that, Weiss? Still joking around?"

"Oh, where do I even _begin_? Your grip was wrong, your stance left you open to _all sorts_ of idiotic things, and most importantly, those were the _weakest_ form of Heartless. If you charge in like that against the stronger ones, you _will_ die."

"But I have you to back me up, right?"

"Reluctantly, yes, but that doesn't mean you get to be reckless. Now, let me see that sword of yours."

Shrugging, Ruby passed her keyblade over to Weiss, allowing her a closer inspection. Despite its name, the weapon was far more 'key' than 'blade', and if not for its effectiveness against the Heartless, Weiss would have dismissed it outright. That and, well…

"It…looks like a flower?"

"Hey, _I_ didn't choose it!"

Most of the keyblade was a varying shade of green, perhaps to imitate vines or leaves, but just above the circular…guard? She supposed that was it was. Above the guard was a beautiful red rose, but closed, as if preparing for a coming winter.

"A peculiar weapon," she commented, handing it back to Ruby. "And given how you handled the Heartless, a dangerous one, too. You should be careful with it."

"Of _course_ I'll be careful with it! Shouldn't you be careful with _any_ kind of weapon?"

Weiss blinked.

"Well, yes, but…oh, never mind. Now, before we go in, remember what I said before, okay? As much as it might work out, you shouldn't wield that thing like a club. Given the length, I would recommend grasping it in two hands, planting your feet and making slow, deliberate swings. That blade has some length on it, so instead of charging in mindlessly, you should keep your distance."

Ruby pouted.

"But that's _boring_!"

"Be that as it may, it also won't cause your early demise. Of course, it's just a suggestion; if you _want_ to endanger yourself more than necessary, then by all means, go ahead. I just won't necessarily be there to pull you back out."

Ruby sighed, looking down to the ground.

"Fine, fine…I'll be more careful next time."

"Good. In that case, are you ready to proceed?"

Ruby nodded.

"Then let's go. If I'm right, and I always am, we have a _lot_ of work to do."


	4. Bloom

"It's…abandoned?"

It certainly _sounded_ abandoned. The metallic crashing they had heard from the other side had ceased completely, leaving only a deafening silence.

"It _seems_ abandoned," Weiss corrected testily. "Second has been a little scarce ever since the Heartless started acting up, but there _will_ be people here…somewhere."

"And Heartless?"

"Yes _, definitely_ Heartless. Stay sharp."

Ruby anxiously twirled her keyblade as she walked, keeping her eyes peeled for incoming threats. And yet, as much as she might look, all she saw was the sad remains of a few shops, a large courtyard in the middle and some rather shifty looking back alleys.

 _Hm…where does a Heartless hide, anyway? In the shadows?_

Following Weiss in an absent, disorganised manner, it took Ruby a moment to realise they were actually _heading_ somewhere.

"Uh, Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Where are we going?"

"The hotel," Weiss answered curtly. "It's where my uncle was headed when he set out a few days ago. I don't know if he'll still be there, but even if he's not, it'll be a good place to start."

Just like the surrounding shops, the hotel door was fairly plain, save for the multi-coloured cloth laid over the window. Weird…did it keep the Heartless out or something?

"It's _supposed_ to," Weiss replied when asked. "It's said that the Heartless only come out when they can see you, so a lot of Traverse Town windows are covered or missing entirely."

"But you don't buy it?"

"Well, considering they managed to find us _one floor underground_ in First, I'm starting to doubt quite a lot of things I 'know' about the Heartless."

Weiss reached for the door handle.

CLICK CLICK

"… %$^."

"What?"

clank clank

"It's…locked."

CLANK CLANK

"Uh, Weiss…?"

As if answering to some unheard call, Heartless oozed from the walls, the floor…everywhere there was space, really. Even worse, these ones weren't like the shadows; they wore strange emblems and suits of armour, and while they were still tiny, that didn't mean they were any less dangerous.

"Yes, yes, I'm thinking!"

"Then think _faster,_ they're almost on us!"

"Alright, fine! You focus on getting the door open while I keep the Heartless out!"

"What?! Why am _I_ on door duty?!"

"Just shut up and do it, Ruby!"

Snarling, Ruby nevertheless obeyed, ignoring her battle instincts in favour of finding a way inside the hotel. There _did_ seem to be a keyhole of some sort, but if Weiss had the key, she probably would have said so.

 _Wait…a keyhole? Key…blade?_

Weiss could practically hear Ruby's brain cogs turning as she brought a barrier of ice up to cover the doorway. It would keep them out…at least, for a little while.

"Oh for $% ^'s sake, just chop the door down or something!"

"No, wait, I have an idea!"

"Well make it fast! This ice isn't going to hold for much longer!"

Ignoring the horrific scraping behind her, Ruby pointed her keyblade towards the door, trying her best to look like she knew what she was doing. After all, if she convinced _herself_ , maybe the universe would give her a free pass and take care of the rest.

"Ruby! Hurry up!"

In the end, Ruby never thought it would actually work. In fact, the universe wasn't particularly swayed, either.

But the keyblade…

"Look, Weiss, something's happening!"

Ruby yelped as her keyblade vibrated in her hands, a thin beam of light shooting from the end and embedding itself in the lock. Her danger sense working at its peak, Ruby wasted no time in testing things properly, smashing the handle down with her free hand and rushing through the door. Quickly sidestepping as Weiss followed suit, Ruby pushed the door closed as quickly as she could, sending a leaping Heartless flying backwards.

Ruby sighed wearily, sinking to the floor.

"Thank the gods, looks like we're finally…safe?

An intimidating click sounded through the air as Ruby stared down a gunblade's barrel.

"...oh."

BANG.

* * *

 _A woman in the shadows…_

 _A blindfolded girl…_

 _A woman tainted by wrath and pain…_

 _But don't forget…_

 _You are the one who will-_

"WAKE UP!"

Having had quite enough of bolting upright from waking up in Weiss' room, Ruby instead made for a more leisurely rise, blinking lazily as she yawned in Weiss' face.

"Oh…hey Weiss," Ruby murmured sleepily.

From a cursory glance, the tiny room she found herself in was colourful, if rather bare. Considering the events prior, Ruby guessed that this was a hotel room, though with only a bed and two chairs for furniture, it wasn't exactly opulent.

"Wait, what happened?! Didn't I get shot?!"

A calm, somewhat monotonous voice spoke up.

"Only by a sleep spell," the voice explained. "Figured it was the best way to get the Keyblade away from you."

Ruby blinked in surprise, giving the voice's source a once-over. The leather jacket, spiky brown hair and general low-key demeanour spoke of a stereotypical strong, silent type, though Ruby couldn't help but wonder whether someone wielding a gunblade could ever be considered 'silent'. Wait…

"You know magic too?!" Ruby exclaimed. "Aw man! How come everyone can cast spells here but me?!"

The man gave a thin smile.

"Maybe it seems that way, but Traverse Town isn't exactly packed with spellcasters; the Keyblade just has a way of drawing in magical types."

" _The_ Keyblade?" Ruby repeated. "I thought it was _a_ keyblade. Like, small K and everything."

The man shared a glance with Weiss. She shrugged.

"There's more than one?" he asked.

"I _think_ so, but I guess I don't know for sure," Ruby replied. "It's just a feeling."

The man looked down to the floor, his expression pensive…or maybe he was just hungry? Ruby wasn't sure.

"Weiss told me all about you while you slept," he said finally. "Your name's Ruby, right?

"Yup! Or, at least, it was last I checked. What about you?"

For a moment, it looked like Weiss was about to answer, but the man's sharp glare stopped her in her tracks.

"It's Leon," he revealed. "Some see me as Traverse Town's leader, but they're wrong. I just look out for the town when I can, try and stop the Heartless from eating everyone."

"Is that why you have that huge sword?"

"Hm? You mean the gunblade?"

Ruby blinked.

"Wait, that's its actual name?! I thought I was just…wow."

"The creator wasn't very imaginative," Leon said dryly. "Still, it gets the point across."

"I just don't understand how it works," Ruby admitted. "I mean, it doesn't have a barrel, so…how do bullets come out?"

"Said the girl with the giant key," Weiss cut in.

"Hey! It's effective, isn't it?"

"But it comes at a price," Leon said solemnly. "The wielder of the Keyblade is in constant peril, and for as long as they wield it, the Heartless will not rest."

"It attracts them?"

"In a sense. The Keyblade's a light they want to snuff out…and that extends to you, as well. Maybe more than the Keyblade itself."

Ruby frowned.

"So does that mean…when my world was attacked…?"

Leon crossed his arms, leaning back on the chair.

"Yes, could be they came for you," Leon confirmed, finishing the grim thought. "No use blaming yourself, though. You don't _choose_ to wield the Keyblade – or _a_ keyblade, if what you say is true."

Ruby looked down to the bed, her expression melancholic.

"Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"You said you found me just lying here, right? In Traverse Town?"

"More or less. Why?"

"Was there anyone else with me?"

Weiss gave her a solemn look.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. It was just you."

"Then…Leon? Have you seen any girls my age running around? Maybe a black-haired cat girl or a tall blonde with big…thingies?"

Leon shook his head.

"Right…of course…"

"Hang on," Leon began. "Just because I haven't seen them, doesn't mean they didn't survive. Don't give up hope."

Ruby looked to Weiss, trying to hold back her tears.

"W-Weiss…would you-"

"Yes of _course_ I'll keep a lookout," Weiss answered irritably. "Well, when we get out of here, at least. Business comes first."

Weiss paused.

"Though I wonder…if they're so important to you, why didn't you ask about them earlier?"

Ruby sighed.

"I don't know…I guess I thought that, if I never asked, I'd never know for sure that they were gone. But now, maybe there really _is_ hope."

Ruby shook the angst away like a wet dog, looking back up to face Leon.

"Alright, I'm ready. What do I need to do?"

Leon leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees.

"In short? Watch our backs while we get to First District."

"That's all? Seems simple enough, but…why haven't you done it already?"

"Two reasons. One, there's been a lot more Heartless in the area than usual, so running isn't much of an option. And two…"

Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin as a bestial roar shook the very building. Weiss, too, seemed unnerved, while Leon only seemed annoyed.

" _That,"_ he said grimly. "We've been monitoring a new type of Heartless for a while now, but we thought it was stuck in Third...guess we were wrong. Once me and Cid got in the hotel, that _thing_ broke into Second."

"Wait, weren't we just in Second? I don't remember seeing anything like that."

"You wouldn't; unlike regular Heartless, this one's smart. Could be that it felt your keyblade and wanted to wait a while before it attacked."

As if responding to its name, the keyblade disappeared in a flash of light, only to reappear in Ruby's hand.

"It's alive, isn't it?"

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you said before that people don't choose keyblades, right? Keyblades choose _people_. So, if you can choose, then that means you can think, which means you must be alive!"

Leon crossed his arms.

"There's a hole in that logic, somewhere."

"More like the logic _is_ the hole," Weiss snarked. "But even if it _was_ true, what's the point?"

"I don't know, but...if it's alive, maybe I can talk to it? And if I can _talk_ to it, maybe it could help me fight!"

"Just don't get carried away," Leon warned. "I'd prefer you cover our backs more traditionally than try whispering orders to your keyblade."

"I'm with Leon, here. If you want to experiment, you can do it later; right now, we've got a job to do."

"Awwww...eh, I'll get over it. So, what's the plan? Anything specific?"

"No, not on your end. As long as you follow us through once we make it to First, we'll take care of the rest."

"And if the big monster thingy just _happens_ to die along the way…?"

Leon smirked.

"I suppose we could scrounge up a suitable reward…just remember you have to be _alive_ to claim it."

The door slammed open as an old, blonde-haired man ran into the room, breathing hard as he took the toothpick from his mouth.

"Leon! They're-"

Zwelch. A shadow popped unceremoniously out from the carpet, only to be swiftly swatted out the window by Leon's gunblade.

"Got it, Cid," he said, giving Ruby a stern look. "Well? You ready, Ruby?"

Ruby jumped off from the bed, gripping her keyblade in both hands.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Leon nodded.

"Then let's go."

* * *

All in all, the shadow was having a fairly good day so far. It had successfully consumed a delicious, delicious heart, and now it had pinpointed an extremely potent source of light.

Then it got sent flying through a window, and that's when things started going downhill.

"Stick together! " Leon barked, swinging his gunblade with reckless abandon as both shadows and knights attempted to stop him. "Cid, keep hold of the scroll!"

Cid did as he was told, keeping his head down and cursing non-stop as he desperately gripped a heavy-looking rectangular object.

Ruby, meanwhile, was having a grand old time, finding that her lack of skill with the keyblade mattered very little when there was such an enormous quantity of enemies. And Weiss, controlled as ever, used her magic like a guided missile, bringing up pillars of ice and flame to strategically protect the group while they rushed through Second.

After maybe a minute, they had made their way to the First District door, with Leon, Ruby and Weiss covering Cid as he got to opening it.

"Gah, where the $%^ is that stupid…ah, there!"

Being closest to the door, Leon was the first to follow, and with one last swing, Ruby looked to be next.

"Oh crap, not _this_ again!"

With a solid THUD, the First District doors slammed shut in her face, and if that wasn't enough, there was now an invisible wall around them for that extra dream killing. She'd only encountered two so far, and already Ruby was getting pretty sick of them.

"Weiss, we'll need to find another way around!"

"What?! Just open the door!"

"I can't! There's some kind of barrier on it!"

Weiss swore under her breath, and for the first time, Ruby didn't hear any symbols.

"Okay, don't panic…how many Heartless are there?"

SLASH SLASH.

"Too many?"

"Fifty, maybe sixty," Weiss estimated, ignoring Ruby's comment. "Do you think we can take them?"

Ruby felt a drop of sweat roll down her forehead as she and Weiss pressed against the barrier. Nowhere to run.

"Um…I'm assuming you can't just magic them all dead?"

"Not this many, no."

"In that case…no, wait, I've got it! Weiss, can you make that ice wall like you did before?"

"Yes, but it won't last long, maybe a minute at most."

"Then quick, put it up!"

"…gah, $% ^ it. You'd better have a plan, Ruby."

Knowing that Weiss would put up the wall without incident, Ruby instead focused her attention on the keyblade, holding it in two hands as she pointed it towards the sky.

 _Look, keyblade, I know you're alive…or, at least, capable of thinking and making decisions, so that's pretty close. And, if that's the case, then I need your help! I could kill these Heartless easily with your power, but I don't know what I'm doing with a sword! If you were just a different form, then…_

CRCK CRCK. The Heartless began to pierce through the ice.

"Fifteen seconds!"

 _Look, it's really important! These things destroyed my world, my family, maybe even my friends…and if I don't stop them, they'll probably destroy this world, too! So please…_

"They're almost through!"

 _Please help me!_

Ruby grinned as the keyblade vibrated once more.

"Then let's do it! Keyblade to scythe, transform!"

The ice shattered.

Weiss screamed.

And Ruby…

She shone like the sun itself, her keyblade now a long, floral scythe, the rose embedded within it now in full bloom.

"You want the keyblade this badly, huh? Alright…"

CRACK. Ruby buried her scythe into the ground, assuming her usual fighting stance.

"Then _you can have it!_ "

It was difficult to even comprehend what was happening. Round and round Ruby span, faster and faster, a whirlwind of death in a very literal sense. Unable to give up and run away, the Heartless jumped fruitlessly to their doom, their bodies sinking back into the ground as they were sliced into pieces by the keyscythe.

In a minute, it was over...no Heartless left. Only Ruby.

"Is that…is that all you got?!" she called out, breathing heavily.

"Ruby, don't-"

KA-THUMP. KA-THUMP. KA-THUMP.

"Ot oh."

A shimmer of light gave way to a mammoth figure. Blackened scales, a long, snake-like neck, a white exoskeleton…and two, blood red eyes, staring directly into Ruby's own.

"Thaaat's probably not good."

Sensing something coming, Ruby backflipped as the creature brought a gigantic paw down onto the stone, sending shards of lethal debris flying through the air.

"Alright, changed my mind. _Definitely_ not good."

Ruby worked her scythe double-time as she landed, deflecting shrapnel this way and that as she ran along the outside of the courtyard. Struggling to follow Ruby's speed, the creature bellowed in frustration, bringing its tail back in a wide sweep.

Ruby grinned.

"Yeah, that'll do!"

With an athletic leap, she not only dodged the tail, but also landed on the creature's back, dragging her scythe behind her as she ran.

CLINK CLINK CLINK. The scales refused to budge.

"Aw, come on! I thought this was supposed to be _sharp_!"

Taking advantage of Ruby's confusion, the creature suddenly bucked. Losing her balance, Ruby could do nothing as she was thrown helplessly against a wall, the wind knocked out of her lungs as something broke...multiple somethings, judging from the pain.

 _I…I can't…_

"Now is _not_ the time, Ruby! Get up!"

Graceful as always, Weiss wielded her rapier like a conductor's baton, and in a swirl of green light, Ruby felt her injuries lift.

"T-thanks, Weiss!"

"Thank me by thinking a little, you dolt! You can't just _charge_ at something like that! You need a _plan!_ "

"We don't have _time_ for a plan!"

As if to prove Ruby's point, the creature came in for another attack, bringing its head back before sending out a stream of white hot flame. Swearing, Weiss dodged to the right, while Ruby went left, forcing the creature to split its attention.

 _Come on, come on…the scales on its back are too tough, and the white stuff is probably even tougher, so our best bet is the underbelly…but how to get to it? If I try to go for it now, it'd just sit on me or something._

Now at the opposite end of the courtyard to Weiss, Ruby looked everywhere she could, desperately searching for anything she could use to her advantage. What she expected was some kind of heavy object, perhaps to launch at the creature, or maybe a magic device that could otherwise flip it over.

What she did _not_ expect was that her answer would not come from looking left, right, forwards or backwards, but _up_.

 _Is that…a shooting star? And it's coming this way…maybe…? Yeah, that could work!_

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted as loud as she could. "Lure it your way a bit! I've got a plan!"

Still swearing like a sailor, Weiss nevertheless complied, using most of her remaining mana to launch a barrage of icicles towards the creature. As expected, they didn't pierce the scales, but they _did_ grab its attention.

 _Just a little bit closer…_

"Alright, I think it's on me, Ruby! What am I supposed to do now?!"

"Plot a path to the underbelly!"

"What? But it's-"

"Just trust me!"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as several things happened at once. Ruby twirled her scythe and braced for impact. Weiss plotted a course, wondering all the while why _she_ wasn't the one making the plans. The creature tried to breathe more fire.

And the star came crashing down.

"Yes! Direct hit!"

As Ruby had predicted, the star had crashed directly into the creature's head, and while its exoskeleton stopped it from piercing straight through, it was stunned for a time. Ignoring the odd-looking debris and the fact that someone had apparently _fallen out of_ the star, Ruby sprinted towards the creature as fast as she could, preparing her scythe for the final strike.

"Now, let's finish it!"

SLASH SLASH.

Ruby looked back to the creature, her tired eyes filled with worry.

"Did…did we kill it?"

A pained roar filled the air for a second, only to be interrupted as the creature faded into nothingness. Utterly exhausted, Ruby collapsed to her knees, the keyscythe disappearing from her hands.

Weiss walked over, unsteady on her feet, and took a seat beside her.

"We did it," she groaned, arms sagging as she let Myrtenaster lay on the ground. "We got _really_ lucky, but we did it."

Groaning, Ruby felt herself fall backwards, but Weiss managed to catch her and lay her down properly before she hit the concrete.

"Easy, now," Weiss said softly. "I don't know what you did that made your keyblade turn into a scythe, but it looks like it took a lot out of you. Don't push yourself until you feel ready."

Ruby smiled weakly.

"You're not gonna call me stupid or reckless or something?"

"What, when you're barely coherent? Hardly. Enjoy your victory for now; until I can prove otherwise, I suppose you deserve it."

"Yeah, I-"

Ruby stopped. Through the fatigue and pain, she sat up, holding it in her hands like it was the last thing in the world…and, in a way, it kind of was.

"That's…?"

A single brass knuckle, inscribed with the initials 'YXL'.

"It's my sister's," Ruby said in disbelief. "One of the ones I asked about earlier...Yang Xiao Long."

Then, before Weiss could offer some form of congratulations, she found herself completely out of her depth as Ruby burst into tears.

"Um…Ruby? Isn't finding evidence of your sister a _good_ thing?"

"Not like this! Yang _loved_ those knuckles of hers – if one of them's here, then that means she's…she's…"

Ruby slammed a fist to the ground.

"It's just not fair! The island blows up, killing practically everyone on it, and Yang survives…only to come here and die to the Heartless?!"

RATTLE RATTLE.

With tears still streaming down her face, Ruby looked up to face the sound, finding herself staring at a strange, blue compass.

"What…?"

A lanky blonde boy sat down beside her, his armour clanking noisily.

"I'm sorry I overheard, but…it sounds like you're looking for someone," the boy said, his voice dorky and high-pitched. "The compass might help."

She had no idea who this boy was, and she wasn't even sure what he was talking about...but there was a hope to his words, and even in her broken state, Ruby wasn't prepared to let it die. Not yet.

Slowly, she picked up the compass, holding it in her free hand. The other, naturally, held the brass knuckle.

"…what now?"

"Just watch."

It was a soft light, like the dying flame of a campfire, but there was no getting around it; the compass was glowing a warm yellow.

"That's...what does it mean?"

"Well, when it glows like that…it means that whoever you're thinking of is still alive."

Ruby stared in disbelief.

"But…how?"

"I mean, it's a bit vague, really. I guess it's closer to say that they 'exist in a way that's not dead' than that they're 'alive'. You might think that'd mean the same thing but noooope."

"Wait, really?! Then…what else does it do? Can it point me to her?"

The boy averted his eyes, embarrassed.

"Eheh, um…not exactly. It's pretty ironic, really; a compass that doesn't actually _point_ anywhere."

Ruby hung her head.

"B-but it does do other things!" the boy said quickly. "See, if you land on a world and the person's on it when you think of them, it'll glow red instead! So it can _sort of_ say where she is…just not _precisely_."

With her sorrow tucked away and curiosity getting the better of her, Ruby reached into her pockets, frowning as they all turned up empty.

"You'll be wanting this, right?"

Ruby tilted her head to see Weiss holding out a small, black pendant, carved in the shape of a…flame? Actually, Ruby wasn't entirely sure what it was. Blake had always been pretty evasive when asked, only telling her that it was a good luck charm.

"I was going to give it back to you when you woke up, but it must have slipped my mind. Here."

Weiss passed the necklace over, all the while giving the mystery boy a sharp look.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you, Mister Eavesdropper! Once we're done with this compass bull $~%, you're next!"

The boy gulped, but elected to remain silent.

 _Wise move,_ Ruby thought. _Now, let's see…_

"…is it _supposed_ to do that?"

Ruby thought she had cracked the code. Yellow meant they were alive, red meant they were on the same world, and nothing probably meant they were dead.

This one was blinking yellow on and off, like it couldn't make up its mind.

"Uh…you know when I explained what it means by 'alive'?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, this is what happens when it gets multiple answers. Could the person you're thinking of clone themselves, by any chance?"

Ruby's mind swept back to the multitude of Blakes.

"…you could say that."

"Then that's why it's going berserk. It's trying to count _all_ the persons as if they're the same person, even when they're maybe in different states of existence."

"I'm…not sure I get it."

"Let me put it another way: you ever had ice cream?"

"Of course!"

"Then let's say I gave you some and I asked 'Is this strawberry or vanilla'? Then you tasted it and said one or the other, but afterwards, I was all like 'Ha ha, surprise, it's actually both and neither at the same time!'."

Jaune frowned.

"So…yeah. Your friend is basically ice cream."

"Oh come on!"

Finally fed up, Weiss got to her feet, pointing an imperious finger towards the boy.

"You can't just _stroll_ in here, hand over a $%^ &*# magical compass, and then make some weird analogy about ice cream! It's dumb, _you're_ dumb, and I feel dumber for having heard it!"

The boy gave Ruby a confused look.

"Is she…always this cranky?"

"Eh, I think she's just tired."

"I am _not_ just tired!"

"You should probably tell her your name and stuff."

"Oh, right! Sorry, almost forgot..."

The boy stood to his full height, clearing his throat.

"I'm Jaune Arc, proud knight of Disney Castle! It's nice to meet you, uh…?"

"Ruby Rose!" Ruby answered, wincing as she got to her feet.

"And the angry one is…?"

"The _angry_ one?! I'm not- …you know what? I don't even care. If you need to know, it's Weiss Highwind. Just don't make me repeat it."

"I think I'd have trouble forgetting someone like you," Jaune commented dryly. "Anyway, I don't suppose you'd tell me how you killed a Heartless that big all on your own, huh? You know, if it's not a trade secret or anything."

"Well, _I_ cut its belly open, Weiss did some magic stuff and then _stabbed_ it, I think, and then there was a shooting…star...?"

Ruby blinked.

"Waiiiiiit a minute. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Uhhh-"

"And the star was your ship!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"

"You crashed a gummi ship into Traverse Town?!" Weiss asked incredulously, folding her arms. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Hey, give me a little credit! Maybe I crashed it on _purpose!_ "

"That's not an excuse, that just makes it _worse!_ "

"Guys, guys, come on! There's no need to get like that! I mean, we just met, for god's sake. It's a bit early for team arguments, you know?"

"Huh? We're on a team?" Jaune asked.

"Yup! You, me and Weiss, going out an adventure! We'll call it…Team RWJ!"

Weiss facepalmed.

"First the ice cream thing, now _this_. Was I the only one who didn't drink from the cupboard under the sink this morning?"

"Oh come on, it's not that bad! It's like 'rouge', but with our initials! Come on, Jaune, back me up on this one!"

"Actually, I'm still kind of confused about why we're teaming up."

"But that's the obvious part! See, _I_ need to find Yang and Blake, so I need you and your magic compass to help me out. Plus, you crash landed here in some kind of ship, so you're probably my best bet on finding another one, right?"

"Okay, but why am _I_ on the team?" Weiss asked.

Ruby scratched her head.

"Because…we're friends? I think?"

"…and?"

"And Highwind is a really adventure-y name?"

"... _and_?"

"And maybe you have your own reasons for exploring the worlds, I dunno!"

"Still, I'm not sure about-" Jaune began.

SHING.

"Whoa! Is…that a keyblade?"

"It's also a transformable, high-damage area of effect weapon."

"What?"

"It's also a scythe."

"Oh! Well, uh, keyblade wielders _do_ have this habit of attracting others, and I guess I _am_ looking for someone too, so…"

Jaune shook his head.

"Aw hell, why not? You've got a deal, Ruby."

He gave Weiss a wary look.

"What about you? Still don't want to tag along?"

Weiss grimaced, massaging her forehead.

"Look, I just want to make one thing _very_ clear before I start…"

"Yeeees, Weiss?" Ruby asked, her grin widening.

"I'm doing this for my own reasons, okay? It's not because we're friends, and it's _certainly_ not because of that stupid team name!"

"Go oooooon?"

Weiss sighed.

" _Yes_ , I'm coming along, Ruby. _Someone_ has to keep you two morons in line, after all."

"Aw yeah! Team RWJ is together, folks! All for one and one for-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Weiss said wearily. "Teamwork clichés, yadda yadda. Let's just get back to Uncle Cid and the others, okay?"

"Works for me! Jaune, you coming?"

"Well, I've got nothing better to do, so...sure, why not?"

And so, the famous team RWJ was formed on the humble world of Traverse Town.

Or…was it the _infamous_ team RWJ?

 _…_

Eh, I don't know. Probably both.


	5. Another Side, Another Story

**This is a non-profit fan work. I do not own or claim to own Kingdom Hearts, RWBY or any of the works under them. All rights reserved.**

 **Dedicated to Monty Oum and booksandweapons on tumblr.**

* * *

"What the…?"

All in all, this wasn't quite what Yang was expecting after sinking into a dark portal. Well, she wasn't quite sure _what_ she was expecting, but a large square with chequered tiles, a small fountain and an enormous set of brown double doors was not it.

"New in town, blondie?"

Spinning around, Yang assumed a fighting stance as she squared up against a tall, ginger-haired stranger. The man merely laughed, straightening out his white trench coat before raising his hands in surrender.

"Hey now, no need to be like that; I was just being friendly, hm? After all, you look a little lost."

There was a slime to his words that made Yang instantly mistrust him, but she had to admit that he hadn't actually done anything wrong… _yet_. Besides, even if he _was_ shifty, that didn't necessarily mean that he couldn't be a source of information.

"Then you know this place?"

"Oh, yes, you could say I've made _many_ a business venture here," the man replied vaguely, retrieving a retractable cane from his coat. "It commonly goes by Traverse town, if you're wondering, and as for _my_ name, you can just call me 'Torchwick'."

Yang eyed his cane with distaste.

"What are you, some kind of pimp?"

"Pfft. Me? No no, I don't bother with that kind of work. I _am_ a recruiter, though, and since you've ended up in Traverse Town, that must mean you're looking for work, right?"

"What? What's so special about Traverse Town?"

Torchwick tapped his cane against the tiles.

"When a world is devoured by the Heartless, the luckier inhabitants end up here…or the unluckier ones, if you want to think of it that way."

Yang frowned darkly.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Worlds don't just disappear! And what's a 'Heartless'?"

Torchwick rolled his eyes.

"Look, maybe I'm not the most trustworthy gent, I'll admit, but you can ask anyone here and they'll tell ya the same thing. Face it, kid; your world is toast."

 _Is this_ my _fault? When that voice came to me and told me to give into the darkness…_

"And everyone else?"

Torchwick raised an eyebrow as he took a cigar from his coat pocket.

"I assume you mean the others from your world?" he asked, lighting the cigar through some unknown means. "Most will have died along with it. Others…well. Some end up in Traverse Town, like you. The unluckier ones land anywhere that's solid."

 _Ruby, Blake…if the voice didn't lie, then they must have survived. But where did they end up?_

"You said you were a recruiter, right?" Yang asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "What for?"

Torchwick took a puff of his cigar, closing his eyes as he breathed out.

"Oh, you know. Just saving the multiverse. No big deal, really."

Yang looked him up and down, shaking her head.

"Someone hired _you_ to find people who could save the multiverse? How stupid do you think I am?"

Torchwick raised his cane, pointing it towards a large lock to the side of the double doors.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. The fact of the matter is that _you_ are in Third District, and since those doors are locked, you'll have to work your way back through Second to get to First."

"So what? I've got a good sense of direction."

Torchwick dropped the cigar, chuckling as he crushed it beneath his boot.

"You're funny, blondie, I'll give you that. Unfortunately for you, my employer's not looking for a comedian."

"The hell are you on about?"

"Getting _lost_ isn't the danger of Traverse Town, kid."

Yang froze as she heard a low, dangerous growl behind her.

" _That_ would be the Heartless."

A spin, a punch, and Yang already realised that she'd made a mistake. This wasn't some tiny shadow like the ones from the island; this thing _towered_ over her, to the point that she had no idea how she could have missed it before.

"Might wanna dodge, by the way."

Snarling, Yang jumped to the side as the scaly creature came in for a swipe, its malevolent red eyes focused on her and her alone. As it recovered, she adjusted her brass knuckles and went in for another hit, but she found little purchase in the creature's tough scales.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, kid!"

"Why don't you-" Yang began, failing to notice the beast's tail as it swung into her stomach, knocking her off her feet and into the fountain.

"Hm…two hits, I think?" Torchwick noted, lighting another cigar. "Before it kills you, I mean."

"This thing's yours, isn't it?!" Yang yelled, dodging once more as the creature tried to bite her. "You brought it here to strong-arm me into working for you, didn't you?!"

"No one _brings_ the Heartless, kid; they go where they please. As for it focusing on you, well…perhaps punching it wasn't the best move, hm?"

Just as Yang got into the groove of dodging and weaving, along with launching counterattacks when she could, the creature gave off a sudden roar, bringing its head back before releasing a jet of white hot flame. High on adrenaline, she managed one last dodge, but the flames didn't leave her unscathed. With a yelp, she let her right brass knuckle go, hoping to retrieve it later.

"Hope you weren't wanting that back, blondie."

SCHLORP. The knuckle was absorbed into the creature's scales.

"What?! How do I beat it?!"

"You can't, at least, you can't _destroy it_. On the other hand, _moving it_ wouldn't be out of the question."

CRASH. Another dodged blow.

"Are you nuts?! I can't move something like that!"

"With your arms? No. With the _darkness_ …maybe."

The beast roared again as it brought both claws down on Yang, but instead of dodging, she met it with her own hands, grunting as she felt the monster's weight press down.

"Darkness…got my island…destroyed!" she said between gritted teeth.

"Yet both you and your friends would have died without it, no?"

Tired from her previous evasive action, Yang couldn't muster the strength to push the monster back…and in fact, slowly but surely, _she_ was being pushed towards the ground.

"I won't be…used like this!"

Roman shrugged.

"How noble of you. I'm sure such sentiment will do you good when you're buried six feet under."

There was no getting around it; this fight was lost before it had even begun. Being stuck under the creature's foot as it prepared a final blast of flame was just the bell at the end of the match.

"Last chance, kid. Focus your darkness and send it into the Heartless, willing it to be somewhere else."

 _I…I can't!_

"And if not, well…it's been nice knowing ya."

Her life seemed to flash before her eyes as Yang prepared for the end. Her life on the island, her mother and father disappearing, all those memories with Ruby and Blake…was that all for nothing? Did she really escape to another world, only to die to the same creatures that had claimed her home?

A sulfuric smell. The head coming forward. Flames.

"It's not _fair!"_

The fire travelling fast, that was true. Yang was trapped under the creature. That was also true.

But the thing with darkness is…

It doesn't really play by the rules.

"Get _off_!"

Filled with naught but wrath and darkness, Yang pushed up with all her might, and just as she knew it would, the creature was sent flying into the air, whining like a lost dog as it disappeared into a black and purple portal.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Bravo, bravo! It's been too long since I've seen a display of darkness like that!"

Yang ignored Torchwick as she looked to her hands. Everything from there up to her forearms had turned from a rich tan to a sickly, pallid grey.

"Ah, still suffering from the aftereffects, I see. Allow me to-"

Snarling like a beast, Yang whirled around, sending her fist flying towards Torchwick's smug face. Of course, weakened as she was from the battle, he caught the fist in a somewhat lazily movement and twisted her arm, smiling as she doubled over in pain.

"Ah ah ah. No punching your saviours, kiddo. That's bad manners."

Before she could try and escape from his grasp, another, sharper pain started to eat its way out of her stomach. No longer smiling, Torchwick let her go, shaking his head as she fell to the ground.

" _Especially_ when I was just trying to help. That pain you're feeling? Believe it or not, that's not me. That's just the darkness taking what it's owed."

In a surprisingly gentle movement, Torchwick touched his cane to her stomach, and slowly, the pain faded away.

"Of course, when you're like me, the darkness owes _you_ and not the other way around. Consider this a goodwill favour, if you like."

As stubborn as she was, Yang knew when she was in no state to fight. Wiping blood away from her mouth, she looked up to her 'saviour', her eyes still full of suspicion.

"…promise me something, Torchwick."

Torchwick raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? This should be good."

"Promise me that I'll find my friends if I help you. That's…that's all I want."

Torchwick tapped his cane.

"I can only promise you so much, kid. If your friends are alive, the darkness will help you find them…but the task of doing so will be down to you."

Yang took a deep breath.

"And the pay?"

Torchwick seemed amused by this.

"Oh, there's plenty of munny in it, if that's what you're after. Power, too. I would offer you women to cap off the list, but as we've already established, I'm not a pimp, so you'll have to seduce some young lads or ladies on your own."

With a click of his fingers, Torchwick summoned a dark portal behind him, not unlike Yang's own.

"Now, if you're quite finished with the questions, perhaps you'd like to come with me?"

"And what will I see?"

Torchwick winked.

"A world of pure imagination."


	6. A Distinct Lack Of Groove

"So…we didn't win after all, huh?"

To begin with, RWJ's return to First was greeted with joy and celebration, especially with the unique Heartless dead for good.

Then came the funerals.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Ruby," Jaune had told her. "When Heartless attack like that, you can't save everyone; most of the time, you just try to save more than you lose."

According to the townsfolk, the body count was actually lower than usual, but that did little to lighten the mood. All through the evening, folks got to work leaving candles and photographs of the dead, for the Heartless never left a body.

"And if you're swallowed by the Heartless…you're gone? For good?"

"Well…we don't know for sure that people _haven't_ come back, but…it's never been documented, at least."

Cid had refused to visit any of the 'graves', claiming that work on the gummi ship would do more to honour their memory, while Ruby and Jaune simply didn't know any of the deceased. But Weiss did. For over an hour, she visited the candles, leaving a single white rose before departing some time after. By the time she returned, only one rose remained.

"There was a…mistake," she answered upon questioning. "A child we'd thought dead had merely hidden themselves from the Heartless. A very _lucky_ child."

"They…go after children, too?" Ruby asked, her voice soft and quiet. Weiss nodded.

"It's said that children have the most light in their hearts, and since Heartless wish to snuff out all the light they can find…"

She looked away, unable to finish. Ruby didn't blame her.

"…enough about that. How goes the ship?"

Ruby smiled wryly.

"Jaune's or ours?"

"Aren't they the same?"

"Heh, not anymore. I think I could hear the 'nope!' from down here when Cid looked at the wreckage."

Weiss glanced around the kitchen/basement before taking a seat at the table, laying her rose down as she did so. Not owning a speck of black (save for what Ruby had worn), Weiss was forced to go out in a flowing white ball gown, and even from across the table, Ruby could smell the smoke on it.

"Hm, that's a shame. Is he building a new one, then?"

"Nope, or at least, I don't _think_ so. According to Jaune, he's just making some modifications to one he had tucked away."

"Speaking of, where _is_ Jaune? I thought he was staying with you."

"Well, he _was_ , but he's with Cid right now. Something to do with the navigation system, I think?"

Weiss snorted.

"Getting the boy who crashed his ship to help with navigation? I thought my uncle had better sense than that."

"Uh, about that...I mean, you and your uncle aren't really, um…?"

Ruby thought about how she might say this in a way that wouldn't piss Weiss off. Looking over to her slightly disapproving expression, she quickly decided that there wasn't one.

"…similar?" Ruby finished tentatively. "In looks, anyway."

"Yes, yes, I'm adopted," Weiss said with annoyance. "You don't need to dance around it. Uncle Cid's more of a family friend than my actual uncle, but considering he's raised me for almost as long as I can remember, I think he's earned the right to be called more than 'Cid'."

"So he's your guardian?"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I don't know if you've noticed, Ruby, but Traverse Town's not exactly big on the law. Maybe if this was a different world, he'd be my guardian, yes, but he didn't sign any paperwork or anything. He just took me in when I had nowhere else to go, that's all."

There was a lot of pain in Weiss' expression, but given what she'd said already, Ruby didn't feel like pushing it…at least, not right now. In her experience, tragic backstories usually came later in the relationship, if at all.

"Wait a minute," Weiss began. "If Jaune's been with Cid, and I've been…busy, what have _you_ been doing?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, just…stuff!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Stuff?"

"Yup! Like polishing my keyblade!"

Raising a hand in the air, Ruby summoned her keyblade, giving it a proud little wiggle.

"See? It's so _shiny!_ "

"I…didn't think weapons like that _could_ be polished," Weiss commented, caught somewhere between confusion and awe. "But surely that's not _all_ you've been doing, hm? I've been gone for over an hour."

"Wellllll no. Leon was in here earlier, too. We had a chat."

Weiss' eyes narrowed further.

"Now I _know_ that's a lie. Leon doesn't do 'chats'."

"He doesn't?"

"No. Whenever he talks to someone, it's so he, or they, can do something. A bit utilitarian for my tastes, but he gets the job done. So what _did_ you talk about?"

Meekly, Ruby dismissed the keyblade, and with her hand still raised, summoned a teeny, tiny little flame. Floating just above her palm, it felt sort of like holding a hot dish full of food, despite her knowing that it was probably much, much hotter than that.

"Gods…I should've known leaving you to your own devices was a bad idea. You _do_ know how to control that, right?"

"Kind of?"

Weiss facepalmed.

"I mean, uh, yes, definitely! At least, I know how to not burn the house, if that's what you mean. Using it on enemies…not so much."

"I'm not surprised. Magic takes a lot of concentration, and from what I've seen so far, you've got the attention span of a fish."

"Hey!"

Ruby paused.

"…some fish have pretty long attention spans, you know!"

"Uh huh," Weiss said, unconvinced. "Well, whatever the case, it will likely take some practice before you can use it effectively. Once you've shown some mastery of fire, I might be willing to teach you a few others-"

"Whoa, really?!"

"-but _only_ when I think you're ready. As I said, magic takes a lot of concentration, and whatever your intentions, I don't want you freezing the gummi ship or other such nonsense."

The familiar clanking of armour clattered around the room as Jaune tumbled down the ladder, screaming like a little girl as he missed a step.

"I-I'm okay! I just, uh-"

"We saw, Jaune," Weiss said flatly. "And believe me, nothing you could have said would have done it justice."

Cid followed close after, giving Jaune a slightly disappointed look as he idly chewed on a toothpick. Almost the complete opposite of Weiss, Cid was heavy set where she was thin, had bright blue eyes to her pale blue, and short blonde hair that, with a pang of sadness, reminded Ruby of Yang.

"Alright, you lot," he began, wiping some oil from his cheek. "Ship's all done, so set off whenever you #~$in' feel like it."

He sent Ruby a cautious look.

"Hopefully soon, with her around. Keyblades are too much trouble for my likin'."

"Though the Heartless _have_ calmed down, for now," Jaune hastened to add. "So, y'know, don't worry about it, Ruby. A keyblade doesn't make trouble as much as it finds it."

Ruby sgave a weak smile in response, not trusting herself to speak. The death of the townsfolk still wore heavily on her mind, and while the possibility of finding Yang and Blake gave her hope, it would still take some time before she was back to full spirits. As she joined Jaune by the ladder, she looked back to see Cid and Weiss standing across from each other, both looking distinctly awkward.

"Look, uh…" Cid said, scratching his neck. "Ya know I've never been one for goodbyes and such, so…just take care of yourself, alright?"

Without warning, Weiss jumped forward, wrapping the larger man in a tight hug. While surprised, he was quick to respond, hugging her back without a second thought.

"I'll be fine…" Weiss said softly. "If anything, _you're_ the one you should be worried about. Who's going to manage the shop now that you're fantastic assistant's away?"

"I'll find someone," Cid replied, slowly releasing the hug. "They won't do half as good a job, and I'll miss ya somethin' rotten, but I'll manage. Oh, yeah, one more thing…"

Digging into his pockets, Cid quickly retrieved a slim, metallic cuboid and handed it over to Weiss.

"This's the newest version of that thing I was workin' on…or at least, it's the version that doesn't weigh a couple tons."

"The scroll…?" Weiss asked, running a hand over its surface. "How much of it works?"

"Radio, text messaging…videos are buggy as hell, but they'll do in a pinch. It'll take notes, too, in case you wanna start a logbook or somethin'."

He cracked a thin smile.

"No music, though, so you'll have to sing acapella, eh?"

"You can sing?" Ruby asked.

"Aaand that's our cue to leave," Weiss said brusquely, giving Cid one last smile before heading towards the ladder, sending the others an impatient look.

"Well? The gummi ship's not going to fly itself, you know!"

* * *

"Wow, kinda looks like it's flying itself, Weiss! How'd you do it?"

To Ruby's disappointment, a 'gummi ship' was not a ship made of gum, or any kind of confectionery for that matter. Instead, it was comprised of hard, brightly coloured blocks, coming together to form a surprisingly large cockpit, complete with three dingy chairs that had a distinct 'spilled drink' smell to them. At the front of the ship, a wide glass screen looked out into what Ruby assumed to be space, the complicated controls in front of it proving uncooperative in Weiss' hands.

"I didn't do _anything_!" she snapped irritably. "It just went off on its own as soon as we left!"

As instructed by their stern pilot, Ruby and Jaune had taken the left and right seats, and while Jaune had at first objected to just being part of the crew, he didn't have much response when Weiss brought up his crash. Of course, this meant a lot of waiting, and when Jaune was left to his own devices, he was usually looking for the right time to strike.

"You know, if you're having problems, I _am_ a trained gummi ship pilot," he reminded her.

"Oh, please, you probably don't know what half of these _do!_ "

"Hey, that's not true!"

Weiss sent him a dubious look.

"…well, I know what _half_ of them do. The rest are, uh…kinda shaky, I guess."

"Then does the half you know include the autopilot?"

"I didn't know there _was_ an autopilot."

"There isn't! That's what doesn't make sense!"

Beep boop.

"Oh. That's not good."

Ruby stopped spinning in her chair for a moment, giving Weiss a look of concern.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Boop beep.

"Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Short version!" Jaune and Ruby said in unison.

"We're going to make a forced landing."

Ruby looked out of the window. Up ahead, a fancy, palace-like building span in place, with an enormous, golden crown resting atop it. It was pretty weird, to be honest.

"That's another way of saying 'crashing', right?"

"No. Crashing is when a forced landing goes wrong," Weiss explained irritably, tapping at various controls. "We're going to use the telepad to get down there before the gummi ship explodes. After that, we can check the compass and figure everything out from there."

Jaune glanced around the ship, frowning.

"Uh…I don't see a telepad, Weiss. Are you sure we have one?"

"Yes, of _course_ I'm sure!" she snapped. "The whole ship is a telepad! I should know, I £$%^ing designed it!"

"You design gummi ships?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yes, I- okay, this is _not_ the time to be having this conversation. How about you give me an hour and try again?"

"I don't know, Weiss, what if you're twice as cranky in an hour? Then I'll get even less of answer!"

Scowling, Weiss slammed her hand on one final button.

"Somehow, I don't think that would actually be possible, so why don't you shut up and sit still while I sort everything out?!"

Meanwhile, Jaune was looking out at the world ahead, scratching his chin.

"Hey, isn't that-"

* * *

Screams. Smoke. Blood.

A portly man dressed in green and brown ran for his life, glancing back now and again to keep track of his pursuers. Now in open, grassy terrain, there were no more trees to disguise their monstrous forms, appearing as jet black jaguars…at least, ones that had been designed by someone with a knife fetish.

Taking a second too long looking back, the man missed a stone in the road, and with a yell, tumbled over, struggling to his feet against his own weight. Sweat dripped his forehead.

They would be upon him soon.

"-the place with the emperor? Oh!"

Both the man and the creatures blinked in disbelief as two women and a man descended in a beam of light, one in black, one in white, and one in slightly battered armour.

"Damn it, Heartless!" the man cried out, readying a sword and shield. "Okay, here's the-"

SWISH

"…plan?"

Without warning, the woman in black summoned up some kind of flowery scythe and, in a single swing, eradicated the monsters. Turning back, she gave a confident smile as her scythe reverted into a key-shaped sword.

"I don't think we need a plan when it's only three Heartless," she said, slinging the sword over her shoulder. "Especially when someone's in danger. Are you okay, sir?"

The portly man rose to his feet, giving his clothes a quick brush down before inspecting his saviours a little more closely.

"Yes, I'm fine…" he said, still caught in shock. "You saved my life, didn't you? Thank you so much!"

"You can thank us once the Heartless are gone," the woman in white bounced back. "What's going on here?"

"What, you don't know? There's this army of monsters heading through the villages, and now Kuzco's called us all to the city for safety. Didn't you get the-?"

The man paused, frowning.

"No, now that I think about it, you probably didn't. You're not demons, are you?"

"What? No, no!" the woman in black replied quickly. "We're just, uh…adventurers looking to help! Especially if it involves monsters like those. I'm Ruby, this is Weiss, and he's Jaune!"

"Pacha's the name," the man said, bowing slightly. "It seems like you're keeping some secrets, but you saved my life, so that's good enough for me."

Pacha frowned.

"And if you can kill monsters just like that, Kuzco'll want to see you right away. After all, we can use all the help we can get."

Just as Ruby was about to enthusiastically agree, she found Jaune pulling at her sleeve.

"We need to be careful," he whispered. "Keyblade or no, meddling is _expressly_ forbidden."

"Meddling?"

"You know, messing in the affairs of other worlds?"

"Well we won't, will we? As soon as we've done with the Heartless, we'll just get back on our way."

Ruby returned her attention to Pacha, who was currently giving her a curious eyebrow.

"All done with your secret talk?"

"Yep! And we're coming to the city, but I'd like to ask a question first."

Pacha glanced back towards the woods, his expression nervous.

"Well, one question shouldn't hurt," he decided. "What do you need to know?"

"You mentioned this 'Kuzco' person. Who are they?"

Pacha blinked in disbelief.

"You really _are_ outsiders…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. Kuzco's our emperor, has been for a few years now. He was a bit of a brat at first, but he's shaped up a bit since then."

"Oh! And you can get us an audience? Just like that?"

Pacha grinned.

"You could say we're friends, in a way. Once he hears I want to see him, he'll pop that door right open, just you wait."

* * *

"What? He won't see us?"

It hadn't been a long walk to the city, but getting _through_ it had taken a while. Pacha had assured them that it wasn't this busy in normal times, but even then, it seemed like there was hardly a space where people ended and buildings began. And the smell…Ruby didn't want to think about it. Suffice is to say, when the group made it into the far less odious palace, Ruby wasn't exactly complaining.

"Sorry Pacha, Kuzco's orders," an enormous guard answered, covered in nothing but a loincloth. "Can't make exceptions, even for you."

"Help, help!"

Everyone turned as an elderly woman stood by the corridor's entrance, urgently waving her arms.

"Please, guards, help! Someone's stolen my cabbages!"

"Hrm…is there no one else?"

"No, all the city guards are busy! Please, you have to help!"

Rolling his eyes, the guard nevertheless complied, rushing after the woman as she went for the palace's entrance. Just as Ruby was about to follow, Weiss put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hold on, now. This might be the opportunity we need."

"What? But there's a theft going on!"

"Yes, but handling it is the guards' job, and unless anyone can prove it's the Heartless, we really shouldn't be getting into it."

"Not to mention it'd be meddling," Jaune added.

"Mm, that too. And besides, with the guard gone, we can open the door and get inside, no?"

"I don't think that's going to work," Pacha said. "If Kuzco's ordered the door locked, then only he and that guard will have the key, so unless you're planning to bash the door down, we're stuck here."

Jaune and Weiss turned to Ruby.

"…what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Weiss sighed.

"Hello? Keyblade wielder? _Key_ blade? Any of this making sense?"

"Oh, right, no problem. Open sesame!"

Just like in Traverse Town, the keyblade had no problem opening the door, despite the fact that Ruby didn't actually see a keyhole anywhere...kind of made her wonder at the possibilities. Still, before she could overthink it, the engraved golden doors swung open, revealing a vast, surprisingly empty stone room. At the end of a blue carpet, a large golden throne stood, its current occupant looking more than a little worse for wear. Even from so far away, Ruby could see the bags under his eyes, and she got the impression that his skin was likely a lot paler than normal.

Then, behind the throne, another shape…

"What in the…?"

Another Kuzco.

* * *

 **This work is officially on hiatus, but there's a good few chapters over on AO3 that haven't been exported to . Ergo, I'mma get on that real quick, along with a quick bit of remastering so I feel like less of a dick about the downtime.**

 **Oh, and the reason for the hiatus? I'm working on my second novel right now. Sorry guys, but the stuff that pays the bills gets priority. That said, I'll be getting back on this story as soon as I'm done with the novel (most likely in around two months), so this hiatus certainly isn't forever.**

 **Ciao for now!**

 **\- Soulwithlife**

 **P.S - You can thank Red Renegade for this importing/remastering, as without his review, I might've just forgotten about this entirely. Hats off to ya, my man.**


	7. Eyes Wide Open

"…Kuzco?"

Pacha stepped forward, confusion etched on his face.

"Are you…okay?"

With rich, tanned skin, black hair and soft brown eyes, he looked to be perfectly healthy, in contrast to his counterpart. That, along with the natural way he wore his unusual crown made 'which is the fake' seem simple.

At least…

"Leave me be!" 'Kuzco' barked. "Lock the doors, whatever it takes! And don't let _anyone_ in until I say so!"

…that's how it looked at first.

"…you're not Kuzco," Pacha accused.

'Kuzco' smiled as his eyes drifted across the group.

"Leave me be!" he cried again. "Lock the doors, whatever it-"

Then he saw Ruby.

"Lock…lock the doors!" 'Kuzco' screamed. "Anyone!"

"I think that's our cue," Jaune piped up, readying his blade. "Stay clear, Pacha."

"Y-yeah. Right."

Realising that he was swiftly being ganged up on, 'Kuzco' backed up to the throne room's rear wall, gibbering yet more repetitions.

"Lock!" he screamed pathetically. "Lock, lock!"

Jaune jumped back as 'Kuzco' dissolved into a pool of black ink, leaving a putrid, garbage-like stench as it oozed across the floor.

"Okay, that's not good."

Weiss was first to react as she enclosed the ink in a block of ice, but just as with Jaune's attack, it simply slid under, continuing at a surprising speed towards the doorway.

"It's untouchable like that!" she yelled, running after the ink. "Unless…Ruby, try the keyblade!"

Hoping that it didn't just get stuck in the ink or something, Ruby nevertheless obeyed, jumping forward and bringing the keyblade down to the ground. Encouragingly, the ink actually _dodged_ this time rather than ploughing through, but dodge it did, and as Ruby recovered, the ink slipped away.

"Oh no you don't!"

With Ruby, Weiss and Jaune all chasing after it, the ink seemed unlikely to get away, but it remained a wily foe. Just as a grand staircase came up, it turned, fleeing down a dusty old corridor…that is, before it reformed on the staircase itself, leaving the group alone.

Weiss made it back first, but there was nothing there, not even guards. She grimaced.

"It got away… #$%."

Ruby and Jaune joined her by the staircase, the latter panting heavily.

"Yeah…I don't think…we're catching it…like this," he managed between breaths.

"We _did_ sorta try everything…" Ruby admitted. "Maybe we should head back to Pacha?"

"Grr…I can't believe we got outsmarted by _ink_!" Weiss grumbled as they retraced their steps.

"Mm," Jaune agreed. "Heartless usually aren't that clever, especially small ones like that. Something's up."

"That was a Heartless?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I mean, maybe. It seemed to freak out when it saw you, and since you're the keyblade wielder and all, I just put two and two together."

"And it could talk…" Ruby said, folding her arms. "They don't do that either, I'm guessing?"

"No, but I don't think that was _real_ talking."

"It was just parroting," Weiss said. "Disgusting, really. We can only hope the real Kuzco wasn't harmed."

When the group returned to the throne room, said real Kuzco was looking quite a bit livelier than his previous appearance. While the dark bags remained, his skin had resumed a normal pallor, and it was with a wide grin that he greeted his saviours.

"Ruby, Weiss and Jaune, right?"

Realising their manners, Jaune and Weiss bowed in respect, leaving Ruby to simply wave.

"Uh…hi?"

Ruby yelped as she was pulled down rather roughly by Weiss, and she had to force a smile as she looked up to Kuzco, his expression caught in amusement.

"Hey now, no need for all that," Kuzco said, brushing off the pleasantries. "I _am_ the Emperor, and I _am_ awesome, but none of that should matter to you. After all, you're outsiders, hm?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

"What, aside from Pacha?"

Kuzco pointed to Ruby.

"I spotted your keyblade when you went after that… _thing_ , and since we've never had a wielder around here, that means you're off-worlders."

Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"You…know about the keyblade, your majesty?"

"Yes, my father had help from a wielder a few years back," Kuzco replied. "I wasn't old enough to see it for myself, but I've heard the stories. In fact…why don't you just hand it over?"

"I…I'm not sure…?"

Ruby looked over to Jaune for support. He nodded.

"Well, okay. Here?"

Ruby walked up to Kuzco's throne, gingerly handing over her keyblade. For a moment, he simply admired the weapon, running a hand over its edge, but before he could test it, the blade vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in Ruby's hand.

"So the story was right, huh?" Kuzco asked, disappointed. "And I was so looking forward to showing the world how awesome I am…not that it doesn't already know. Still, since _you're_ the protagonist, how about I ask you my favour so we can get on with things?"

"Protagonist?" Ruby repeated. "I don't-"

"No, you don't. That's why _I'm_ here," Kuzco said, winking. "If you've got a keyblade, that means you're a doer, and I could really use one of those to get rid of that _thing_ that was in here earlier. You know, the villain of the story?"

Jaune cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, your highness, but would you mind telling us how it got here?"

"Isn't that your job, blondie?" Kuzco bounced back. "All I know is we've been having these strange reports over the past few weeks, stuff about conflicting orders, random aggressors, yadda yadda. Wouldn't have chalked it up to a monster myself, but hey, life's full of surprises."

Kuzco ran a finger over the edge of his seat.

"Oh, yeah, and there's that big army of monsters coming to siege the city. Is that why you three came here? To get rid of them?"

Ruby shrugged.

"I…guess?"

"You're not going to take on a whole army, though," Kuzco observed. "You aren't me, after all. Still…maybe you'll be good for catching that other monster. _Monsters_ , maybe."

"The ink thing?" Ruby asked.

"Yep, the very same. I say monsters plural 'cause I've heard this weird stuff happens at different times, so there's probably more than one."

Kuzco leaned back into his chair, yawning loudly.

"Anyways, since you saved my life and all, you might as well ask me a favour before you go. One each, because I'm the Emperor and that's just how I roll. Blondie, you first!"

Jaune blinked.

"Um…do you have any more information about the ink monster, your highness?"

"What, still hung up on that? Well, whatever. I don't have _information_ , but I do have _advice_. See, since those things will be mimicking ordinary folks, you'll want to look out for anyone who's causing a lot of trouble. From what I've heard, whenever something like that breaks out, the person who started it always falls back somehow…follow them. That'll probably take you where you need to go."

Kuzco folded his arms, looking over to Weiss.

"Next?"

Weiss swept her eyes from side to side.

"Your highness…you said a keyblade wielder came here before? Someone who helped your father?"

"That's what they say. What of it?"

"Did they ever give their name?"

Kuzco frowned.

"No, they didn't – or, _she_ didn't. Other than her weapon and gender, she didn't leave much behind. Was that your favour?"

"Yes, your highness."

Kuzco shook his head.

"Here I am expecting jewels and munny and you two want info? You _do_ know I'm the Emperor, right? Well, no skin off my back. Ruby, what about you? More info, or are you going to ask for something good?"

Ruby put a hand to the back of her neck, smiling nervously.

"Uh…I'm not sure what to ask for, Kuz- I mean, your highness."

Kuzco raised an eyebrow.

"No? Jewels and munny not doing much for you?"

"I'm just…looking for some friends of mine."

Kuzco looked over to Pacha, his expression softening.

"I can understand that. What do they look like?"

"Well, Blake's a girl with black hair, gold eyes and cat ears, and Yang's also a girl, but with long blonde hair and big…assets."

"Hm…more off-worlders, huh? Can't say I've heard of them, and it sounds like they'd stand out around here."

Kuzco scratched his chin.

"Tell you what, I'll tell my guards to keep an eye out. If either of them pops up while you're here, I'll be sure to let you know. How's that for a deal, eh?"

"Oh…thank you very much, your majesty!"

"Your thanks are _humbly_ accepted," Kuzco said, grinning once again. "Anyway, now that we've got that sorted out, how about you hunt down that monster? Believe me, I'm going to sleep a _lot_ sounder when that thing's gone."

But just as the group got ready to leave, something heavy thudded against the floor.

"That's for you, Ruby. Take care of it."

Ruby held the miniature crown up to the light, comparing it to Kuzco's own.

"For me?"

"For your keyblade. I think they call it a 'keychain'?"

Kuzco waved his hand.

"Don't worry about it right now, it's not _that_ important…but if you _do_ need to know, you should probably ask your friend in the armour."

Kuzco winked.

"Isn't that right…Jaune Arc?"

* * *

"He knew _way_ more than he was letting on."

Their search hadn't been too productive so far. The city was so large, and so packed, that finding one of the monsters was like finding a needle in a stack of more needles. So, for a time, the group rested by a fountain, thinking over what to do next as they stared into the water.

"Yeah, Weiss, I know," Jaune said irritably. "He knew my last name, for starters, and there's no way he'd know about keychains from just a story."

"But why would he lie to us?" Ruby asked. "It just doesn't make sense."

"I'm not so sure. When people like emperors and kings catch wind of keyblades, they start getting wary of their power; after all, meddling or no, they bring change wherever they go."

"You think he's afraid of it?" Weiss asked. "Then why give Ruby a keychain? Didn't you say it makes her stronger or something?"

Jaune looked over to Ruby as she admired the crown.

"Stronger is...simplifying it."

"Then why say it?!"

"Because we needed to focus on the search, okay! Keyblades are _complicated_! I can't just spout off a bunch of lore all at once! It'd just be confusing and boring! And, uh…uh…"

Weiss was giving him one of those looks again. Yeah, one of _those_ …and Jaune being Jaune, it didn't take long for him to give in.

"Okay, okay, fine! It's like…wearing different clothes, I guess? You put it on, and different things happen depending on what it is. Like, maybe you feel colder if you put on a t-shirt, or warmer if you wear a jacket. In other words, it doesn't make the keyblade _better_ , it just makes it _different_."

"Then…how do I use it?"

Jaune gave Ruby a guilty look.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. Maybe it's something you'll figure out on your own? Oh, crap!"

Cursing under his breath, Jaune searched his pockets, eventually picking out the blue compass from Traverse Town.

"We forgot to check, didn't we? I guess I'll go first…"

A pale yellow glow, just like Yang's had been.

"Damn, worth a shot. Ruby?"

The same result as Traverse Town, one yellow, one blinking yellow.

"Could I borrow it, please?"

Surprised at her politeness, Ruby handed the compass to Weiss without a second thought, wondering what she might use it for.

"Do I need to hold an object of theirs when I do it, or can I just think of them?"

"Thinking works, it's just easier the old-fashioned way."

Closing her eyes, Weiss' brow furrowed in concentration.

"…Jaune?" Ruby began. "What does it mean when it's blank like that?"

Jaune looked to the floor, gulping.

"W-well, uh…it _could_ mean that you weren't thinking about them hard enough, but usually it means…"

He gave Weiss an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Weiss. Whoever you're thinking of is dead."

Shaking her head, Weiss tried again. This time, the compass shone a definite red, and even seemed to shake in her grip.

"She's…here?"

Jaune blinked.

"If it goes like that, it usually means that the person you're thinking of is _really_ close by. It wasn't me or Ruby, was it?"

Weiss shook her head.

"No, it was someone else. Are you sure this isn't broken?"

"Of course it's not! Uh, at least, not in the way you mean. Obviously the needle doesn't work, but…"

Weiss' eyes slowly drifted over to Ruby.

"Hm…does that mean…?"

Ruby gave her a quizzical look in return.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's fine, I just have a lot to think about, that's all."

SHLNK. Jaune's sword inched from his scabbard.

"Jaune, what are you-?"

"Shh," he said, cutting Ruby off. "Look, by that house over there."

Ruby followed his gaze.

"You think that's…?"

"Could be. What do you think?"

There were three of them, hugging to a wall as they…waited for something? If Ruby was honest, there was nothing particularly odd about them at all, especially in appearance. Although…

 _Wait, are they…identical?_

"Wow, even their clothes are the same!"

"Mm, that's what I noticed first. Should we follow them?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Keyblade wielders are leaders. That's just how it works."

"Hey! _I_ could make for an excellent leader too, thank you very much!"

"Uh, I'm with Weiss on this one, actually. How does carrying a giant key around make you leadership material?"

"Look, I've said it once already, I'm _not_ going on a keyblade rant! I mean, definitely not right now. Some of this stuff is _classified_."

Jaune flicked his eyes back to the identical trio, grimacing in annoyance.

"Besides, they're gonna get away if we keep talking like this. What're we doing, Ruby?"

Ruby looked over to Weiss, hoping for some kind of assistance, but her expression was just _screaming_ disapproval. If Ruby ever wanted genuine respect from her, at least if she was going along with Jaune, she would have to be a bit more decisive.

…of course, in the time Ruby spent thinking about this, the identical trio had made their move. Maybe the decisiveness could use a bit more work.

"Well _I'm_ going after them," Weiss asserted, already stepping forward. "And if our _glorious leader_ and the dolt knight would come along, we might actually get somewhere today!"

* * *

Team RWJ didn't end up following their marks for all that long, perhaps ten minutes at most, but what they saw seemed to confirm their suspicions. Every so often, along the city's winding streets, one of the trio would depart into a pub or bar, and then only a minute later, the sound of raucous brawling would spill out into the streets. If not for a slight flicker of white as they resumed their 'normal' disguises, it would be the perfect crime.

 _So they're just messing with people? No, not messing, stirring them up…but for what?_

The afternoon sun bobbed lazily in the sky as the trio came to a stop outside a sandy-walled temple. RWJ watched patiently from the shadows as, for once, all three of the figures headed inside, hunching over as they went through the doorway. Strange…it seemed more than high enough. Why duck?

"There's definitely _something_ going on, here," Jaune commented, scratching his chin. "A group op, maybe?"

"Or a home base," Weiss suggested. "And if that's the case, we might have the opportunity to get rid of them in one fell swoop."

"We're swooping down on them? Cool!"

"Er, no, Ruby, it's an expression. I was more thinking that we should just burn the place down if it's their base."

"What? But what about the other buildings?"

"What _about_ the other buildings? They're made of stone!"

"So's the main one!"

"Yes, but this is _magic_ fire we're talking about!"

"And that doesn't spread?"

"It's magic, Ruby; I'll only burn the city down if I _want_ to."

"Unless you lose your grip," Jaune said, prompting a sharp look from Weiss.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I was talking to Master Magician Jaune Arc! Please forgive me, O Wise One!"

"What, and you are? All you can use is fire, ice and cure!"

"Uh, guys?"

"What?!" Jaune and Weiss both shouted.

"Are we actually going in, or are you just gonna keep shouting at each other?"

"We are _not_ shouting!" Weiss rebutted, crossing her arms. "We were just…raising our voices!"

"Then why don't you guys raise your voices a little later?" Ruby asked, annoyance creeping into her voice. "I mean, aren't those inky things gonna get away if we just sit here?"

For a moment, Weiss and Ruby shared a look, each pitting their will against the other. Pride and anger shimmered in Weiss' expression; Ruby wasn't sure what she saw in her own. Finally, Weiss lowered her gaze.

"You're a far cry from a _real_ leader," she said, turning to face the house. "But I suppose you deserve a chance to prove yourself."

Ruby blinked.

 _Was…that an insult? Or maybe a Weiss compliment?...god, I don't know._

"Well?" Weiss asked expectantly. "If you're the leader, then _lead_."

Ruby glanced over to Jaune. He nodded.

"R-right! Everyone, follow me! And, uh, keep a hand on your weapons, since we don't know what's inside."

Ruby wondered what they must have looked like, striding down a busy street in strange attire, all holding some manner of weapon. In fact, she briefly wondered why they hadn't been stopped by the guards, but she supposed Kuzco might have told them to keep away. Still, that didn't stop the ordinary people giving them weird looks, with a little girl hanging onto her mother being particularly mesmerised, her mouth wide open.

Finally, after a short walk, they reached the temple. Giving it a quick once-over, Ruby found the outside completely innocuous, if extremely clean, although the shuttered windows were a bit odd for a temple. Had it been closed for a while?

"They probably locked the door," Jaune said. "Good job we have a key, huh?"

Nodding, Ruby lifted her keyblade up to the plain wooden door, perfectly prepared for the usual light display…which, of course, meant it never came. Instead, the door simply swung open, and since she couldn't see any _openers_ , Ruby supposed it did that on its own.

"This feels like a trap," Weiss noted, peering into the building. "And a pretty poor trap, at that. Why alert us so soon?"

"It could _not_ be a trap," Jaune suggested.

"I rather doubt that, somehow," Weiss retorted haughtily. "So, Ruby? How will we proceed?"

Ruby shrugged.

"Considering that last one we saw, the ink things don't fight too well. Even if it's a trap, if we're ready to fight, they'd just have to run away again."

"There could be other Heartless in there," Jaune warned. "They like to band together that way."

"We could take them," Ruby said confidently. "And even if we can't, we could always just run away. You know, cut a wall open, something like that?"

Slinging the keyblade over her shoulder, Ruby set off into the house, keeping her eyes peeled in the dark environment. Still, while the room was dark, and sort of humid, actually, it was also completely empty, save for a fancy spiral staircase in the centre.

 _No sign of those ink things...though they might just be hiding in the dark. Hm…_

FWOOSH. Ruby summoned up a tiny flame, moving it along the walls as she combed the room. Unfortunately, everything remained fairly plain even in light, save for several odd bumps along the walls. Were they once hook, maybe?

"Seems clear," she whispered, dousing the flame. "I guess we check upstairs?"

"I should go first," Jaune suggested, tugging uncomfortably at the straps of his breastplate. "Since, y'know, I can probably take the most hits."

"I suppose you had to be good for _something,_ " Weiss snarked, but Jaune seemed to ignore it. Despite his armour, he actually walked fairly quietly as he went up the staircase, keeping a firm grip on his sword as he ascended. Once he reached the top, however, his grip loosened as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh, guys?"

Suddenly, the room became even hotter and more humid than before.

"Is…something wrong, Jaune?" Ruby replied, cautiously readying her keyblade.

"There's no door here. It's a dead end."

THUMP. Along the walls, every 'bump' opened simultaneously, revealing row upon row of greedy red eyes.

"Oookay, that's not normal."

"Gee, Ruby, you think?!"

That wasn't the worst part, either.

The walls were closing in.

"Jaune! Get down here, now!" Ruby yelled, hugging the stairs for dear life.

"I can't! I'm stuck to the wall!"

"Idiot," Weiss snarked, her rapier glowing with magic. "Looks like it's down to us, Ruby. You know what to do."

"Right. Keyblade to scythe, transform!"

BZZT. The keyblade remained inert.

"Uh…keyblade to scythe transform!"

BZZT. The walls continued their inevitable march.

"Ruby, this isn't the time to be messing around!"

"I'm not! It just doesn't want to transform for some reason!"

"Then just use it as is!"

Still very rusty with sword-like weapons, Ruby was certainly glad that missing her enemy wasn't really a possibility. Unfortunately, even as the keyblade set a course for one of the eyes, the wall simply parted in a mix of black ink.

"It's not working!" Ruby yelled, watching in horror as the wall perfectly reformed. "What about magic?!"

Ruby had to cover her ears as a horrific scream boomed from every eyeball.

"Fire seems effective," Weiss noted clinically, preparing her rapier for another shot. "With enough of it, we should be able to blast through. Try it on your side."

Ruby whined like a puppy as she summoned up her tiny flame, still unsure what to do with it.

"Weiss, I…I can't. I don't know how to throw it!"

Weiss whipped her head back, brow furrowed.

"For $% #'s sake, Ruby, it's not that complicated! Just stop channelling it through your hand and use your keyblade!"

"I can _do_ that?!" Ruby yelled, covering her ears after another bout of screaming.

"Yes, of _course_ you can! Did Leon teach you nothing?! Just charge a fire spell in your occupied hand and pour it into your keyblade!"

"Then what?!"

"What do you mean 'then what'?! It'll fire out of the weapon, you dunce! Just get on with it!"

Having had quite enough of all the yelling, Ruby did as she was instructed and prayed that she wasn't just burning her keyblade.

DUNK DUNK DUNK. The bullet-like shots were far-flung from Weiss' graceful jets, but given the reaction of the eyes, they worked just the same.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Ruby exclaimed, shooting more fire shots. "Through the fire and the flames, we'll carry on!"

Just as Weiss had said, the wall was slowing its advance, but it was _technically_ still moving, and they only had so much mana. On top of that, her plan to blast through was seeming a little impractical, since after enough force, the wall would simply use the ink to generate another eye.

"Weiss, this isn't working!" Ruby cried, holding her fire for the moment. "We need to try something else! What about the door?"

" _What_ door? It disappeared the second this thing woke up!"

"Darn it! Okay, new idea; how about we hit all the eyes instead of focusing on one spot?"

"And how will _that_ help?!"

"I don't know, maybe it'll have to use something else when it can't see anything!"

Forcing herself through more blood-curling screams, Ruby returned to the task at hand, this time spreading her fire between the eyes.

"It's…it's backing up! I think it's working!"

"Then keep firing!"

There had to be at least twenty eyes on each wall, but Ruby was determined not to let up, even as her mind went alarmingly blank.

 _Damn it, I must be running out of mana. Come on, just hold on for a little while longer!_

Three walls done, one to go. Weiss and Ruby faced it together, each shaking from the strain.

"R-ready to give up, Ruby?"

"Not…yet!" Ruby returned, crossing her keyblade with Weiss' rapier. "Not when we're…so close!"

Ruby looked once more into Weiss' gaze, but this time, she didn't find pride, nor anger...only acceptance, and a desperate will to live.

"Together?" Ruby asked.

"Together."

Noticing that its attackers had let up on their assault, the walls suddenly moved, this time faster than before. But just as they began to near, a faint white light surrounded Ruby and Weiss.

"Limit Break!" they cried out in unison. "Fire of Prometheus!"

There was no aiming this attack; there was no _need_ to aim. Only screams could be heard as the fiery laser slammed into the wall, smashing straight through it and even dissolving the godforsaken ink. Behind them, the stairs also dissipated, flinging Jaune away and revealing a final eye, this one bearing the Heartless emblem in its pupil.

"Ruby, finish it!"

"Right!"

There was no scream this time. Perhaps it had run out, or simply accepted its fate. Either way, the eye remained inert as Ruby brought the keyblade down, splitting it perfectly down the middle.

The house faded. The ink dried up. Someone was…was…

Jaune...?

"Ruby?" Jaune called out. "Ruby!"

...

...

...


	8. The Dark City

It was a thick, heavy smell, like a mix of a gym and a sauna. When Yang first arrived, she'd found it stifling, unbearable even, but either the alcohol or the atmosphere had lightened her mood. Now it was almost company; another thing to help her forget.

A clicking noise sounded behind the bar as the bartender deactivated the side lights.

"Closing time soon," his deep, monotonous voice announced. "Five, ten minutes maybe. Drink up."

Yang looked across to him, only now getting a good look at his face. His skin was fairly pale, if not the unhealthy pale brought on by the darkness, and the pink highlight in his greasy black hair made her wonder at his true temperament. Noticing her gaze, the man returned her look, his purple-pink eyes weighed down by tired black bags.

"Haven't seen you around before," he observed, idly running a cloth across the silvery bar. "Must be new. Did Torchwick bring you?"

"Yeah…" Yang replied dejectedly, barely sipping from her pink lemonade cocktail. "Not that I had much of a choice. It just kind of…happened."

The bartender nodded, as if he'd heard it many times before.

"Might not look it, but he's pretty good at getting his own way; this bar wouldn't be here if not for him, after all."

"He made you run it?"

The bartender frowned.

"He'd never admit it, but 'made' isn't far off, no. Said he needed somewhere for him and his lackeys to drink, and I had bar experience. The job stuck."

He shrugged.

"Still, it's a living, and I don't have to worry much about the Heartless. Can't complain."

Yang shook her head.

"You sound like you've given up."

"Depends. I've not given up on living, if that's what you mean, but…well, I can't say I haven't lost something. This city takes as much as it gives."

Yang adjusted herself on the uncomfortable bar stool, thinking over what to say.

"You've…been here a while, then?"

The bartender shrugged.

"Six months, maybe? Hard to say. What of it?"

"Well, maybe you could tell me more about the city? Torchwick ran off before I could ask him, said I should just wait here…"

She sighed, finishing the last of her drink.

"Aah, that's good. I mean, don't get me wrong, this place is fine, I just want to get my bearings."

The bartender nodded.

"Makes sense, but there's not much I can tell you. As far as I know, this world was devoured by the Heartless, but… _something_ brought it back. Not sure who or what or how, but whatever they did, it means the Heartless stay away. I guess they got what they were looking for."

He laid his cloth down and straightened out his immaculate white dress shirt.

"Either way, it's a ghost town. Only ones here are you, me, and whoever else Torchwick picks up. Some days I end up just…staying here. Alone."

Yang gave him a sympathetic look.

"You're missing someone too, huh?"

The bartender nodded, averting his gaze.

"Well, hey, why don't you come with me? I'm looking for some friends of mine, so you could look for your someone, too! How about it?"

He shook his head.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The dark paths are too dangerous for someone like me…someone with a weak heart."

"What do you mean?"

"The way I know it, darkness…it's a tool, or so Torchwick says. Problem is, you need the right skills and mindset to use it. Can't use a hammer without arms, can't wield darkness with a weak heart. You'd just get obliterated."

"But with a strong heart, you'd be fine?"

He grimaced.

"Supposedly, but something tells me there's more to it. Darkness is always looking for a way in, and even the strongest heart can crack. As soon as you let your guard down, it'll eat away at you, bit by bit."

He shrugged.

"But hey, I'm just a bartender. What do I know?"

"Don't say stuff like that!" Yang exclaimed, pushing herself up. "You're not _just_ anything, you're your own person, and stronger than you think! You're…"

She looked to his name tag.

"Lie Ren?"

"Yeah, but just Ren's fine."

"Okay, Ren. _Maybe_ you can't find your friend on your own, and _maybe_ you can't brave the darkness. But you know what?"

She brought a hand to her chest.

" _I_ can, and even though I've got my own friends to find, trust me, I can look for yours, too. What do they look like?"

Ren gave her a sceptical look.

"You sure you want to say something like that after a few drinks?"

"Heh, what kind of lightweight do you think I am? Like I can't make a promise after a couple cocktails…pfft."

Ren shook his head.

"Well…alright. She's got short, bright orange hair, blue eyes, wears a lot of pink, and she's maybe five inches shorter than you. Pretty loud, too, so you'd have trouble missing her."

"Heh, sounds like we'd get on pretty well!"

Ren smirked.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, her name's Nora Valkyrie. Not exactly holding up much hope, but if you do run into her, just tell her Ren's okay, and he's still looking."

"Should I bring her here?"

"If she'll let you, sure. Unless she's changed since I last saw her, her heart's strong…the strongest I've ever seen, even. The dark would be nothing to her."

Yang smiled softly.

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"More than anything. Don't yours?"

Yang hung her head as she realised how easily Ruby and Blake had slipped her mind. Was that all it took? Some weird air and a bit of booze?

…was that all it took to rid her of the guilt?

"Anyway, I should be closing up," Ren said, clearing away Yang's glass. "You be careful out there, okay?"

"I will, and next time I see you, I'll have Nora with me!"

Ren watched as Yang stumbled out of the bar, sighing as the door slammed behind her.

"Just come back alive," he murmured. "Please."

* * *

Living on Destiny Islands had made Yang uncomfortable with silences. Even late at night, when few humans remained awake, the nocturnal birds had taken flight, their flapping wings and shrill calls piercing the calm and quiet.

The city was different. The city was silent.

The city was very, very wrong.

"Ah, there you are, blondie. How was the bar?"

Yang looked across the dimly lit street, frowning as she met Torchwick's abject gaze.

"Good, considering where it is," she answered neutrally. "Thanks for leaving me there, by the way. Had some business to take care of, huh?"

Torchwick sauntered over to her side and leaned against the wall, offering a cigar. As she shook her head, he lit one for himself, closing his eyes as he breathed in the fumes.

"Settle down, kid. Surprisingly enough, I'm not really out to keep you in the dark...I just thought you'd find chatting with Ren more fun than watching me do paperwork."

He pointed his free hand over to a large building in the distance…some kind of castle, maybe? It was hard to say with how dark everything was.

"And that's where I wandered off to, if you're wondering. Nice place, if a bit sparse for my tastes."

"Are there other people there?"

"Mmhm, plenty of lovely folks. Around here we just call ourselves 'the family'."

"Pfft. What, like the mob?"

"Ha, that'd be rich! How do you run a mob when there's no one to threaten, no one to extort, hm? So no, we're not the mob."

Torchwick took another puff of his cigar.

"It's just us, living off this half-dead world. For now, anyway."

"For now?"

Torchwick winked.

"Remember what I said before, kid? Back in Traverse Town?"

"Hm…some bullshit about saving the multiverse, right?"

"Ah ah ah, there's that lack of trust again. We'll need to get over that before your work can improve."

Torchwick dropped his cigar and crushed it beneath his boot.

"See, when our plan comes together, this world? It'll join with all the others, become a part of something greater. Almost a resurrection, if you will."

Yang frowned.

"The worlds…they're going to merge?"

"That's the idea. Think about it for a sec: how much easier would so many things be if all the worlds were one? There could be cross-world tournaments, increased trade, holidays, all sorts. What's not to like?"

"Probably what comes with it. What's the catch?"

"The catch is that it's going to take a lot of hard work to pull off. That's where you come in, hm?"

Yang thought back to her fight with the monster in Traverse Town.

"You say that, but I don't even know what you need me to do."

Tutting to himself, Torchwick reached into his coat, retrieving two pieces of golden metal. Once she came closer, he handed them over for inspection.

"Your first job is destroying any Heartless you come across, and for that, you're going to need better weapons. Considering what I saw before, these should work rather nicely."

Yang turned the dense chunks over in her hand.

"Am I supposed to throw these, or what?"

"You _could_ say that. Just put them on top of your hands; the gauntlets should handle the rest."

Reluctantly, Yang did as she was instructed, hoping that she'd put them in the right place. After a small beep, the metal folded outward as it wrapped itself around her hand, eventually revealing two strange-looking gauntlets, complete with some sort of firearm-type thing. Even stranger, despite the cool air of the city, the pure metal gauntlets felt hot against her skin, as if they'd come straight out of the forge.

"Consider them your welcome gifts," Roman said, tapping his cane against the floor. "At their base level, they'll enhance your attack power, but there's all sorts of special features you'll find as you go."

"What, they don't come with a manual?"

Torchwick winked.

"Now where's the fun in that, hm? Oh, yes, you'll be needing this, too."

From out of a side pocket, Torchwick retrieved a long, thin sewing needle, handling it with great care as he passed it over to Yang.

 _It's warm, like the gauntlets…wonder what they're made of?_

"That's for part two of the job," Torchwick explained. "Once you've dealt with the Heartless, you should start looking for something called a 'keyhole'. It's hidden on most worlds, so you may have to fraternise with the locals to find its location."

Yang ran a gauntleted hand over the needle's edge. She shivered.

"Eurgh…and what's that got to do with this?"

"Everything, my dear, _everything_. Once you find the keyhole, just slip that little needle inside. Child's play, really, but you'll have done plenty of hard work to get there."

"And what happens then?"

Torchwick shrugged.

"It's a mystery. I know what's _supposed_ to happen, but this will be the first real test. I suppose the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, hm?"

Yang nodded, pocketing the needle.

"Alright, fine. What do I do once I put the needle in?"

Torchwick clicked his fingers, summoning a dark portal in front of them.

"Channel the darkness to bring up one of _these_ , think about where you want to go, and then step through. After that, just wait at Ren's bar and I'll drop by for a sitrep and a drink."

Yang took a deep breath as she looked into the portal.

"And that's it, huh? Simple as that?"

"Simple as that," Torchwick confirmed. "So why don't you get on with it, hm? Five thousand munny's waiting for your _glorious_ return. That is, _if_ you return."

Humming tunelessly as he went, Torchwick walked away, his footsteps echoing down the lonely streets.

"Good luck, blondie, and don't let me down!"

He looked back over his shoulder, smiling thinly.

"Believe me, you wouldn't be the first."

 _And probably not the last, either,_ Yang thought bitterly. _Still, if these gauntlets are as good as he says, those Heartless will be in for a shock._

Rolling her shoulders, she walked into the portal, shivering at its cold embrace.

 _Ruby, Blake…just sit tight, okay?_


	9. O Captain, My Captain

_Eurgh…I really need to stop getting knocked out. Wait…_

Ruby's vision blurred as she surveyed her surroundings, not quite fully recovered from…what, exactly? Whatever had knocked her unconscious, she supposed.

 _Colours…too many colours. Is this the gummi ship?_

But just as her vision started to clear, a sharp pain carved its way through her head, her hands jerking up in some vain hope of stopping it. Scents and sounds of all kinds coursed through her all at once, and at the end, she heard Blake saying...goodbye?

 _No, Blake, please…don't go…_

Then it was over, and the reality she found was naught but bitter.

"Hmph…so you're awake?"

Her head still throbbing, Ruby turned as slowly as she could, her eyes finally resting on an equally pained Weiss, her legs wrapped uneasily around the captain's seat.

"W-Weiss?" Ruby stuttered, trying and failing to get to her feet. "What…happened?"

"Stupidity," she answered curtly, turning away to the ship window. "Now we're paying the price."

This time when Ruby told her body to get up, it obeyed, and the pain in her head seemed less and less important as her mind pulled itself together.

 _Okay, we were down on another world, me and Weiss were fighting a monster, then we…did some kind of magic? And now I'm here?_

"Did we do something wrong?" Ruby asked uncertainly, rubbing her head.

"Something like that. Hm...what did Leon teach you about mana?"

Ruby bit her lip.

"Uh…it's like your mental energy, right? And it gets used up when you cast magic?"

"That's… _mostly_ correct. Did he also tell you what happens when you run out of mana?"

"Well, no, I guess not."

"Lethargy, headaches, disorientation," Weiss listed, counting them off on her hand. "Plus loss of consciousness, if you push it too far."

"So that big fire attack…?"

"Way, _way_ too far," Weiss finished. "And no, I don't know what we did. All I know is that it pushed our mana into the negatives."

"Huh. Maybe Jaune knows? Wait, where _is_ Jaune?"

Weiss leaned back in her seat, looking up towards the ceiling.

" ~£$ if I know," she said bluntly. "But he's not on the ship, my scroll is missing, and we're parked outside a jungle world. Draw your own ^&%$ing conclusions."

Feeling a lot heavier than usual, Ruby nevertheless dragged herself over to an unoccupied seat, slamming down with a solid BOMF.

"Do you think we should go look for him?"

Weiss sent her a disdainful look.

"Look for him? Like this? Are you serious?"

"Well, what if he's in trouble? We can't just leave him!"

"We _can_ and we _will!_ " Weiss snapped. "Even if he hadn't stolen my scroll, my head feels like it's running on maple syrup right now, so I'm about as magic as a cotton sock! What will we do if we find Heartless, hm? We'll get slaughtered!"

"I-" Ruby began, cutting herself off as she thought for a moment. "You don't _know_ he stole it."

"Then where is he, Ruby? If he didn't steal it and go down to the world, why isn't he here helping us? Why can he barely fight when he's supposed to be a knight? How does he know so much about keyblades? How does he know so much _period?_ WHY DIDN'T HE INTRODUCE HIMSELF WITH SOME KIND OF RANK?!"

Ruby waited patiently as Weiss hyperventilated, knowing that offering to help would only get her shouted at. After a minute, her patience was rewarded as Weiss returned to staring out of the cockpit, her expression cold.

"I don't trust him, and you shouldn't either."

Her eyes closed.

"We're going back to Traverse Town."

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Uh, Weiss-"

"No, Ruby, don't try and argue. It's for our own good, really."

"No, Weiss, it's really not-"

"Without that stupid compass of his, we'll do _much_ better."

"Weiss, please, you've got to-"

"In fact, we could probably look for a better, more competent team-mate."

"WEISS! THERE'S A LASER THING AND IT'S GOING TO SHOOT US!"

"Whu- a laser thing? What the $%^ are you talking abouuuuuoh dear _god_ what the hell is _that?!_ "

It had looked like such a normal world. I mean, sure, there'd maybe been a few too many trees for Weiss' liking, but it didn't seem inherently _dangerous_.

Unfortunately, when an enormous, jet black cannon charges a laser in your direction, you're rather hastily encouraged to reconsider your options...or in this case, _option_.

"Ruby, we're going down to the world! We're going down there _right now!"_

"But I thought you said-"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!"

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the African jungle. With the sun beating down as it did, it might have otherwise been too hot, but a stiff breeze kept things pleasantly warm. Amongst the trees, various bugs and beasts chattered and chortled.

So did the Heartless.

"Uh…Weiss?"

Helpfully, the gummi ship had beamed them into a clearing, if one that would be easy to get lost in. On each side, tall, thin trees reached up into the sky, and aside from two small breaks that could possibly lead off into a path, there didn't seem to be an end to them. Of course, before Ruby or Weiss could wonder which path to take, blue monkey Heartless had crawled out of the ground, cutting off the routes to both. Great.

"It kinda looks like we're surrounded. Again."

"Yes, Ruby, I _know_."

"Should we…do something about it?"

"I'm sorry, aren't _you_ the leader here?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a little low on ideas right now. I was wondering if you had anything?"

Unlike the other Heartless, this type seemed content to mill around for a while, playfully scratching at the air. That gave them time, true, but Ruby wasn't naïve enough to think they would let them leave without a fight. The funerals from Traverse Town had been warning enough.

"Nothing in particular," Weiss admitted. "Wait, can't you just do that scythe thing?"

"Scythe thing? Oh, right, the keyblade. Didn't that fail last time?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean it will fail _this_ time, does it?"

"Okay, fine, whatever! Keyblade to scythe, transform!"

Ruby grinned as her keyblade bathed itself in light, but she couldn't help but gasp at what actually popped out. Far from her elegant rose scythe, this one was decorated shaft to blade in jewels and other finery, almost blinding her from the reflection.

"Huh. That's new."

"'That's new?' We're in combat, you dunce! Get to work!"

"Oh, uh, right! Might wanna duck, by the way!"

Finally done playing with their food, the Heartless pounced in unison, but it was too late. Twirling her scythe in a deadly spin, Ruby sliced through them like a hot knife through butter, and within seconds, over half of them had been destroyed. The other half slinked back, nursing their wounds as they looked for another avenue of attack.

Convenient, really, because with how Ruby was panting, she wasn't sure she could do that again.

"Do you…think you can…take the rest?"

Weiss stood up to full height, a look of concern crossing her face.

"I…suppose, yes. Just focus on defence, Ruby; I'll handle this."

Without her magic, Weiss was hardly the most potent fighter, but her rapier was still sharp enough to run a wounded Heartless through. The problem, then, wasn't that she would fail to kill them.

The problem was that Ruby was left to fend for herself.

"N-no! Get back!" Ruby squeaked, readying her scythe. "I won't…die here!"

Her heavy swing was slow and sluggish, and two of the Heartless managed to dodge, leaving her unable to recover as they pounced.

"Stop! Get away from-"

FWOOOOSH. PCHNK.

"-me?"

It had come from the trees, she was sure of that much, but that still left so many questions. How had it travelled so fast? Did it really kill two Heartless and keep on going? And, more importantly…

Who had thrown the spear?

"Look out!"

The shout and a soft rustle was the only warning Ruby got as a ferocious leopard leaped from the trees, and with her reflexes as they were, her clumsy dodge was rewarded with a scratch across the shoulder. Still, the pain gave her mind focus, and the leopard's subsequent attack was met with a block from the keyscythe.

"Weiss…" Ruby grunted, her muscles struggling against the weight of the leopard. "Could _really_ use a hand, here!"

Tearing her attention from the remaining Heartless, Weiss was quick to pick up on the situation. Breaking into a sprint, and evading the Heartless at the same time, she readied her sword, preparing to run the leopard through as it bore down on Ruby.

BOOMF. The spear in the wood reversed its direction, slamming into the leopard and sending it sprawling to the floor. But before it could get up, a tall woman in leather armour jumped over it, drawing the spear towards her before effortlessly impaling the leopard.

Within seconds, the light had faded from the its eyes. There was no struggle, no fight for life. A clean kill.

"Stay still, please."

With a flick of the wrist, the woman sent her spear hurtling towards the remaining Heartless, destroying it before it could manage a surprise attack.

Ruby and Weiss shared a look.

"Uh…" Ruby began, blinking slowly. "And…you are?"

The woman adjusted a strange bronze headpiece as she looked over to the people she'd saved, her long red hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Knight Captain Pyrrha Nikos, at your service."

She smiled sweetly.

"But please, don't call me Ser Pyrrha or ma'am; it gets a bit grating after a while. Now, who might you be, if you don't mind me asking?"

Weiss cleared her throat.

" _I_ am Weiss Highwind, niece of Cid Highwind. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

"Why yes, of course I have. Who hasn't heard of the best gummi ship builder this side of heartspace?"

Weiss positively glowed while Pyrrha turned her attention to Ruby.

"And…you're a keyblade wielder, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Y-yeah. I'm Ruby," she mumbled quietly, suddenly feeling quite bashful. "Um…thanks for saving my life, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha gave the leopard's corpse a mournful glance.

"I prefer not to harm non-Heartless creatures, but sometimes it can't be helped. I'm just glad I was able to save...you."

Pyrrha's brow furrowed as she spotted the scratch on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for being so sudden, but may I ask you to follow me back to the campsite?" Pyrrha asked politely. "That wound needs treating, and I'm afraid I have little mana for a cure spell."

"Campsite?" Weiss repeated, glancing around. "Do you live here?"

"Not…exactly," she replied slowly. "I can tell you all about it back at camp, but as I said, we should treat Ruby's wound as quickly as possible."

"Then we should get moving. Ruby?"

Ruby looked into her saviour's emerald green eyes. They were kind, compassionate, empathetic.

Just like Yang's.

"Yeah…we'll go with you," Ruby agreed, sending her keyscythe away. "But once we get back to camp, you've _got_ to tell me about that spear of yours!"

Pyrrha chuckled.

"I can promise that much, at least…"

"Especially to one of the keyblade's chosen."


	10. Reflection

p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The wind whipped and whined as darkness covered the jungle, the switch from day to night seeming a jarring, binary process. Still, kept warm in the tent by a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, Ruby found her worries quietened as she regaled Pyrrha with her story so far. Aside from a few questions, and the occasional snarky comment from Weiss, the telling went uninterrupted, and it felt surprisingly good to have it all out in the open./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Pyrrha asked, shifting restlessly on her stool. "Keyblade wielders often have strong hearts, but I think yours would be unusual even amongst them."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh, um, thanks!" Ruby replied bashfully. "It wasn't all me, though. If it weren't for Weiss and Jaune, I don't think I'd have made it this far."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Right you are," Weiss said, sipping away at her own cocoa. "Though I'll admit, aside from her heart, she also has a surprising grasp of battle strategy. She's not emcompletely /emuseless, I suppose."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hm? Oh, yes, that's very impressive," Pyrrha said distractedly. "Ruby, you mentioned a 'Jaune' in your story, yes? And again here? Could you tell me more about him?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""He was a vagrant know-it-all claiming to be a knight," Weiss butted in. "We're glad to be rid of him. Isn't that right, Ruby?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Aw come on, that's not fair! From when we first met, he's been nothing but helpful, and if it weren't for him, we'd know a lot less about a whole bunch of things!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Assuming his information was even correct," Weiss said pointedly. "As for your question, Pyrrha, he introduced himself as Jaune Arc, a knight of…Disney Castle. Wait, then wouldn't you…?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha folded her arms./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Noodly blonde hair, blue eyes, kind of lanky?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You know him?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, Ruby. In fact, we've been childhood friends for as long as I can remember."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Weiss' face turned cherry red./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Y-you were friends with someone like emthat? /emBut emwhy?/em"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha looked up to the roof, her mind casting back./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""It was…difficult, at first. Disney Castle was a wondrous place, filled with colour and life, but for an off-worlder, it was mostly just confusing. Making friends was difficult, not the least from most natives treating me like a curiosity at best, but Jaune was different. From the get-go, he'd talk to me, play with me, and when our training started, see me after I'd finished to help me cool off. No matter what happened, no matter what everyone else seemed to think, he'd always treat me the same way."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Did you two train together?" Ruby asked./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, but not in the way you mean. Disney Castle off-worlders are sorted into castes from a young age, and unless you showed enough skill to change over, you were stuck with that for the rest of your life. After my combat and magic trials went well, I was sorted into the knight caste, and after a while, became Knight Captain."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Wait, what about Jaune? Wasn't he a knight, too?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I'm sorry, Ruby. While he introduced himself as a knight, I'm afraid that Jaune was sorted into the scribe caste."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Aha! So emthat's/em why he knew so much!" Weiss cried triumphantly. "I emknew/em something was up!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""In any case, while I can't say for sure why he lied to you, what I do know is that Jaune always wanted to be a knight from the start. The problem was, well…his combat skill never quite matched his enthusiasm."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha paused./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Sometimes I wonder if it was my fault. I agreed to help train him when I could, but I'm not sure I taught him particularly well. Maybe if I'd left him alone, he might have…? No, I shouldn't think about that. What's done is done."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""So…what happened?" Ruby asked. "From what he said, it sounds like he was looking for you."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Orders happened," Pyrrha said grimly. "For my first mission as Knight Captain, I was tasked with investigating a nearby world and reporting back as soon as possible. From what we'd heard, large amounts of Heartless were gathering there, and if they managed to consume the world, we would be next."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Ah, I understand," Weiss said. "He wanted to come along, didn't he?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, that's right. Unfortunately, only knights and other combat ranks are allowed access to gummi ships, and while Jaune had made enormous progress, the Queen forbade him from joining us."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""The Queen?" Weiss repeated. "Excuse me, but I thought Disney Castle was ruled by a 'King Mickey'?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""It's a joint monarchy, though the King usually handles the military, yes. Unfortunately, he's been…preoccupied for a while now," Pyrrha answered evasively. "In his stead, Queen Minnie rules, and she decided that Jaune was staying right where he was."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And look how that turned out," Weiss snarked. "In fact, you've actually managed to make my estimation of Jaune go emdown/em, which I didn't think was entirely possible. Petty treason, assuming the identity of a knight and what I can only assume was gummi ship theft…where does it end?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""He's…certainly been busy," Pyrrha said neutrally. "And while I don't approve of his actions, he wouldn't do such things without a good reason."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby tilted her head to the side./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Um…Pyrrha?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You said you were sent to a nearby world, right? I'm guessing that's this one?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""That's correct."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And I'm also guessing you left Jaune by saying something like 'I'll be back soon'?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I…yes, I did."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Then…how long have you been here?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha looked down the floor, sighing softly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Three weeks, give or take a few hours."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And no one's come to find you?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha remained silent./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Right. I think I know why Jaune did all that stuff, now."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hold on, Ruby," Weiss began. "Just because he had a reason, doesn't make it right. If Pyrrha really has been missing for three weeks, why didn't they send a knight to find her? Wouldn't that be better than…him?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby shrugged./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I dunno, what if the Heartless attacked? If that happened, you'd probably want to keep all your troops back home, right?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Well yes, but-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Which means leaving Pyrrha stranded here. Alone."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, I know that, and-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I mean, if emyour/em childhood friend went missing, wouldn't you go look for them?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I wouldn't know, Ruby, I didn't emhave/em any childhood friends!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Silence settled over the tent as Weiss cast her gaze aside./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Weiss, I-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Don't you dare pity me!" she snapped, her voice filled with hurt. "Just because you had your idyllic little childhood on your island world, that doesn't mean everyone else did, or even needed to!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She marched over to the entrance, glancing back as she parted the flap./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And if friends are anything like Jaune, I'd say I'm better off without them."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"There was a brief rustle as the wind found an opening, but soon, the tent returned to silence, now down an occupant. Laying down her mug, Ruby looked over to Pyrrha, frowning./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Uh…she's not usually like that."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I gathered," Pyrrha said, a sad smile on her lips. "Children forced to grow up off-world don't always have the happiest of lives. I'm fortunate enough to be an exception, but it seems Weiss had things much harder."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Living without friends for so long…I can't imagine," Ruby said. "I mean, I guess there was Leon and her uncle and stuff, but no one her age. No wonder she's so…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Difficult?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Cold," Ruby decided. "I think she's thawing out over time, but Jaune stealing the scroll hit her hard…do you really think he did that, by the way? We don't have anything concrete, so it's mostly just Weiss jumping to conclusions."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha paused, rubbing the back of her neck./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I left a distress signal as soon as we crashed down here. If I had to guess, he took the scroll so he'd have a way of following it."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh, I guess that makes- wait, you crashed?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, I'm afraid so," Pyrrha said sadly. "When our gummi ship entered this world's orbit, it was shot down almost immediately by some kind of advanced weapon."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""The laser…" Ruby breathed. "And you said 'our' gummi ship, right? Then there's someone else?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha turned away./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh...oh. I'm so sorry."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Don't be. It was my own fault they died."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She stood up, putting a hand to her spear./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And even if it takes a lifetime, I will avenge their deaths."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You're searching for the weapon?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes…or at least, I was. After the first two weeks, things looked…bleak."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby rose from her seat, and while Pyrrha was quite a bit taller than her, she still tried to put a hand on her shoulder./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Pyrrha...you're not alone anymore, okay? We're here now, and whatever it takes, we'll help you find your friends' killer."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I couldn't ask that of you. Keyblade wielders need to travel the multiverse, fighting Heartless and-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And what? Didn't we bump into Heartless back there?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby stood back a little, summoning her keyblade in a flourish./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Besides, I'm a person before I'm a keyblade wielder, and that means I get to make my own choice, right?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She grinned./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""In other words, I'm staying right here to help you out! So, y'know, I guess you're stuck with me now."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I suppose I can think of worse things," Pyrrha said dryly. "And if the keyblade draws out the Heartless…gods above. This could actually work."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Suddenly, a high-pitched scream pierced through the tent. Pyrrha and Ruby shared a look./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Weiss!"/p  
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;" /  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The rain poured relentlessly as they dashed outside, looking this way and that for Weiss. Thankfully, while the camp's clearing was cluttered with boxes, stones and some ancient-looking lab equipment, Weiss proved easy to find, and despite being a little damp, she seemed unharmed, at least. Jaune, on the other hand…/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""H-hey…Pyrrha…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, dropping her spear as she rushed over to him. "What happened?!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"As he lay cradled in Weiss' arms, it was plain to see that Jaune had seen far better days. His face alone was heavily bruised, bloodied and, given the bent look, broken, too. Ruby didn't dare think what he looked like underneath the armour./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I was…trying to find ethers…for Weiss and Ruby," he said painfully. "Was gonna bring them…here….Heartless got…in the way."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"He coughed./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Sorry I…took the scroll…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh, $% ^ the scroll, I'm getting you patched up! Pyrrha, give me a hand!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"With Pyrrha helping out, lifting Jaune's scraggly form was easy, save for avoiding the bits of broken armour. Trying not to make things any worse, Ruby simply stood out of the way, watching as they carried him into the tent. Just as she was about to follow, however, Pyrrha and Weiss stepped back out, scroll in hand./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Right, I can take it from here," Weiss declared. "Ruby, take the scroll. You'll need it."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""But Weiss, I really think I should-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""No, Pyrrha," Weiss insisted. "I have enough mana to cure Jaune, but I doubt I'd have enough for combat; if anyone's going after the cannon, it should be you two."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""The cannon?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Ruby, open the scroll."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"BLEEP. Thankfully waterproof, the scroll opened to reveal a map of the area, all pale blue save for a crudely added black triangle near the top right./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""A black triangle…?" Pyrrha murmured, looking over Ruby's shoulder. "The sign for a colossal Heartless."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You think it's the cannon?" Ruby asked./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Weiss frowned./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Does it really matter? It needs to be dealt with either way, and quickly, considering Jaune's condition."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She cracked her knuckles./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And speaking of, I've got some healing to do. Try not to get yourselves killed while I'm away, hm?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha and Ruby shared a look as Weiss re-entered the tent./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""He'll be fine, Pyrrha," Ruby assured. "If Weiss commits herself to something, she'll get it done. We need to focus on the task at hand."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I…you're right. If a colossal Heartless is in the area, it's my duty to destroy it."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She paused./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Are you sure you'll be okay? You don't have to come along, you know."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby rolled her shoulders./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Well, I don't really know why it turned dark so soon, but otherwise, I'm fine. Funny how much a cup of hot cocoa can do, huh?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I emdid/em add a potion to them, actually…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""A potion?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes, a healing potion; I put an ether in Weiss'."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha used her magic to pull the spear towards her, gripping it with resolve./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""But I can tell you this on the move, can't I?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby nodded./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Then let's go."/p  
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;" /  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Before they set off, Pyrrha had quickly summoned up a flame to light the way, but even with a floating magical torch, the jungle was full of unforeseeable dangers. Through twisting paths and burdened trees they ran, slicing mercilessly through the Heartless as they went./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""This 'night time' started a few days ago," Pyrrha explained, veering away from a rock in the path. "It hides the sun and encourages the Heartless, but I don't know much about it otherwise."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Do you think it's a sign the world's in danger?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha grimaced./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I hope not, but it's a sombre possibility."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Thunder roared behind them as their pace quickened, even as the ground beneath them rose higher and higher. After a while, the pair came upon a jagged hillside with a sprawling wooden treehouse atop it, the nets and crow's nests making its origins obvious. Frowning, Pyrrha brought out the scroll, glancing between the map and the treehouse./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Is it really here? I thought I'd searched it, but…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby hefted the keyscythe over her shoulder, having transformed on the way./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Maybe they were hiding from you?" she suggested./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha shook her head./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Normal Heartless aren't intelligent enough for that."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Are we emlooking /emfor normal Heartless?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha smiled sheepishly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Heh, I suppose that's fair. In any case, I'll take point, so please watch my back and look around for anything suspicious."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Sure thing, Pyrrha!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"With the rain still pouring down in sheets, making it up the hill was no mean feat. In a moment of weakness, Ruby wondered if she could cast a fire spell on herself to keep the cold mud off, but she soon thought against it. Assuming it even worked, there was too large a risk of setting the whole tree house ablaze, something she doubted Pyrrha would appreciate./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Sniff sniff./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hey, Pyrrha…do you smell that?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Reaching the tree house's entrance, Pyrrha stopped, her eyes scanning away as she too sniffed the air./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Something burnt," she surmised. "I believe it may be gunpowder. We should be cautious."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What about your fire?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""It's under control, don't worry."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"With their mud-covered boots making heavy tracks on the wood, Ruby and Pyrrha crept into the tree house, passing through the open doorway as they searched for anything of interest. Unfortunately, while of a generous size, the tree house's primary room was fairly empty, with the damp remains of a few wardrobes being the only evidence of its previous occupants. Walking along the edge of the wall, Ruby found vines weaving through the woodwork, and before she could stop herself, briefly wondered how much of the tree house was being held up by the plant life./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Uh, Pyrrha…?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hm?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Is it…safe in here? Like, it's not gonna collapse, is it?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""It hasn't moved an inch since I arrived, so it seems stable enough," Pyrrha said, moving to the centre of the room. "Safe is another matter, however. If Jaune's map is correct, there should be a Heartless right-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha looked up through a hole in the roof, eyes widening./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""-here? Gods above…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Joining her by the hole, Ruby too looked up, her mouth dropping open as she finally understood./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""That's…something's coming down, isn't it?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha nodded./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Do we know what it is?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""No," Pyrrha said. "But it's large enough to block out the sun. That's enough."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"As the enormous cylinder gained speed, pushing closer and closer towards the surface, rays of sun peered out from behind it, slowly revealing its captor as it bathed the land in a soft orange glow./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Come on, we need to get to the roof," Pyrrha urged, running over to a thin wooden ladder. "Do you have enough mana to cast anything?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""A fire spell, maybe two?" Ruby answered, scampering up the ladder once Pyrrha had reached the top. "Does that help?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What about a magnet spell?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Magnet?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Finally at the top of the tree house, Ruby paused to catch her breath./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh, the rain's stopped. Neat."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You don't know any magnet spells?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Huh? Um, no, I don't…wait, magnet's an element?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha put her hands together before slowly pulling them apart, a bright white substance spilling out from her palms./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes…no? Yes and no," she decided, frowning in concentration. "I just hope this works…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hope what wor- oh my god!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"With a heavy metallic groan, the cannon's descent sped up dramatically…before abruptly coming to a stop perhaps thirty feet from the ground. Pyrrha frowned, pushing her hands forward, but the cannon refused to budge. On top of that, its whirring sound was starting to sound very familiar…/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Pyrrha, that thing's gonna fire! We have to do something!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I…I can't bring it down any further!" she cried. "It's just too big!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby looked between the cannon and Pyrrha's outstretched hands, squinting all the while./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""The magnet spell…it works both ways, right?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What? Oh, yes, it can attract and repulse, if that's what you mean."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby pointed a thumb towards herself./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Then send me up. I mean, my keyblade's probably magnetic, right?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Actually, magnet spells work on non-magnetic things too, but...I suppose that's beside the point, isn't it?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha grimaced as the cannon continued to charge, the burnt smell gaining in strength./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Are you sure about this? Even if we pull it off, the cannon might still fire, and you'd be caught in the blast."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""And what about you?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha shook her head./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""A keyblade wielder is far more important than a mere knight captain. If you want to escape, I won't judge you for it."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby grasped her keyscythe with both hands, determination in her eyes as she looked up to the cannon./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Sorry Pyrrha, but I'm not big on running away...now get me up there!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"As it turned out, Pyrrha didn't need telling twice. With a lurch of her stomach, Ruby rocketed through the air, a chill running through her bones as she realised how wet the rain had made her. Still, as she got closer and closer to the cannon's barrel, her clothes began to dry in the machine's heat./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"emOoh, that's nice! I mean, uh…gah, come on, Ruby! Focus!/em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Spinning in mid-air to face Pyrrha, Ruby freed a hand from her scythe and pushed it towards her target, letting herself be enveloped by the feeling of empull/em./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What are you- weargh!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Unlike Pyrrha's elegant magnetism, Ruby's spell refused to go in a straight line, and it was only by some choice course correction on Pyrrha's part that she made it up to the cannon at all. Perhaps knowing that Ruby wouldn't know what to do next, she applied magnet spells to their feet to enable their new ninety-degree world view./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pretty funky, all in all, if somewhat nausea-inducing./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Ruby," Pyrrha began. "While I appreciate the sentiment, please tell me before you do anything like that again."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She paused./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Though I must say, for a first use of the magnet spell, that was really quite impressive. Well done!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Heh, it was nothing…wait, uh, maybe would should-?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh, yes. The cannon."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"With her usual battle flourish, Ruby buried her keyscythe into the cannon, holding on tight as the machine shook in pain. Shaking her head, Pyrrha nevertheless followed suit./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hey, Pyrrha. I've got an idea."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Oh?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You said the magnet spell works on anything, right?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I suppose. Why?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Would it also work on a laser?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha looked over to her, frowning./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""That's more of a reflect spell, but I suppose that could work…but we couldn't manage it alone."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What if we did that thing Weiss and I did? That big magic attack?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""A Limit Break? But you…you barely have any mana! There's no telling what might happen to you!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Is that a no?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha eyes glinted as the laser's clear purple colour eased out from the cannon's innards. It wouldn't be long now./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Ruby…do you remember what I told you? About how I lost my comrades when we were shot down?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yeah, of course I do. What about it?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha took a deep breath./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""I thought the cannon wasn't aiming for us. I thought the ship could take it if we emwere/em shot. I thought we would survive even then."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha closed her eyes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""If I'd just told them to do something, emanything/em, they'd both still be alive! Instead, I just sat there, quiet, nothing to say until I was stuck in the wreckage of my ship, with naught but their corpses for company. So, I suppose what I'm saying is…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Can you really limit with someone like me?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby shook her head./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""You know, for someone so smart, you can be really silly sometimes, y'know?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""What...?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Hindsight's twenty-twenty, Pyrrha, and everyone makes mistakes. Do you really think your friends would be cursing you and stuff if they could see you now?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"She looked into Pyrrha's eyes. So much pain, so much regret…and loss. Was it really so long ago that she had felt the same way?/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""No…no, I suppose they wouldn't," Pyrrha decided. "Maybe it's time…I forgave myself, if only just a little bit."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The ground beneath them rumbled dangerously as the laser made its approach. To the outside world, it travelled at light speed, but Ruby and Pyrrha were on a different time frame./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Then let's do it!" /p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Limit Break!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"After approximately one eternity, the cannon was finally ready to fire hot death upon its targets. In fact, despite the charge-up time, the whole thing was going quite well, and as the laser rushed forward, the obstructions in the barrel seemed to have completely disappeared./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Unfortunately, so did the laser./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"emWhat?/em thought the cannon. emWhere's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!/em/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"VRRRRRRM. The two obstructions reappeared in the barrel, surrounded by a pure white light. They extended their weapons forward, barking in unison:/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Return To Sender!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Two mysteries were solved that day. First, the laser departed from the lost and found by zooming back up the barrel, now tinted a strong, reddish colour./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"As for the second mystery…/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"…well, they emdo/em say be careful what you wish for./p  
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;" /  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"As Pyrrha and Ruby touched back down on top of the tree house, there was the brief thought that, just maybe, shattering a metal cannon into a million tiny pieces would be a distinctly bad thing for the surrounding jungle./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Good thing Heartless constructs dissolve into nothing when they die, then, because that action emalmost/em had consequences. Although…/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Uh…Pyrrha?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Exhausted from the Limit Break, Pyrrha turned to a distressed-looking Ruby, very much surprised that she was still conscious./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Yes? What is it?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Is this emsupposed/em to happen?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Ruby held out her hand./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""Uh…"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"The skin was pitch black./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;"Pyrrha gulped./p  
p style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.8004px;""No, Ruby. It really, really isn't."/p 


End file.
